Michelle Obama: 'When they go low, we go high'
Philadelphia (CNN) — Michelle Obama cast the presidential race as one between a positive role model for children in Hillary Clinton and a damaging one in Donald Trump in the marquee speech on the Democratic National Convention's opening night.
The first lady never mentioned Trump by name, but she laid her popularity on the line to take down the Republican nominee.
Obama condemned "the hateful language that we hear from public figures on TV," saying that "our motto is, when they go low, we go high."
And in a shot at Trump's "Make America Great Again" campaign slogan, Obama discussed raising her children in a White House that was built by slaves.
"Don't let anyone tell you that America isn't great. This right now is the greatest country on earth," the first lady said.
Obama electrified the crowd at the Wells Fargo Arena in Philadelphia, taking the stage just after 10 p.m. ET and -- in a departure from the political attacks on display all day -- making the case that, because of her character and temperament, Clinton is the role model she'd like her daughters to see in the Oval Office.
It was a remarkable embrace of the prime-time stage for Obama, who was reluctant about the spotlight that came when her husband, then-Illinois Sen. Barack Obama, launched his presidential campaign against Clinton in 2007.
"To understand the journey she's taken as a reluctant conscript on the public scene, to come here and command that stage the way she did tonight was extraordinary -- and I think did for Hillary Clinton what no one else has done to this poin
PHILADELPHIA (AP) — The Latest on the Democratic National Convention in Philadelphia (all times EDT):
10:20 p.m.
Michelle Obama says she wants a president who knows issues "cannot be boiled down to 140 characters."
Once again she's not mentioning Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump by name in her speech at the Democratic National Convention.
But she is citing his penchant for communicating on Twitter and says she wants someone who understands that issues aren't always clear.
And, she adds, "That's why in this election. I'm with her."
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10:15 p.m.
Michelle Obama says Hillary Clinton is advancing the cause for women so "all our sons and daughters now take for granted that a woman can be president of the United States."
The first lady also is linking Clinton's quest to be the first woman elected president and Barack Obama's historic tenure in the White as the first black president.
Michelle Obama recalls the history of black Americans who "felt the lash of bondage" and the "sting of segregation."
Michelle Obama says that now, she gets to "watch my daughters, two intelligent black young women, play with their dog on the White House lawn."
The first lady also is pushing back on Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump's slogan to "make America great again."
She says, "Don't let anyone ever tell you that this country isn't great. That somehow we need to make it great again. Because this right now is the greatest country on earth."
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10:12 p.m.
California delegates backing Bernie Sanders are sitting still as Michelle Obama speaks at the Democratic National Convention, rather than starting chants as they did over other speakers.
Several yelled "no" when the first lady declared "I'm with her," a slogan for Clinton backers.
But the response is far more muted than the backlash that greeted other speakers. The California delegation has been one of the loudest on Monday night in expressing their opposition to Clinton.
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10:10 p.m.
Michelle Obama is offering an unequivocal endorsement for Hillary Clinton.
The first lady says Clinton — a former secretary of state, senator and first lady herself — is the "one person who I truly believe is qualified to be president of the United States."
Michelle Obama says in her speech at the Democratic National Convention that Clinton "never buckles under pressure." She says Clinton would be the kind of president that she wants for her own daughters.
Michelle Obama notes Clinton's reaction to her 2008 Democratic primary loss t Barack Obama. Michelle Obama says Clinton "didn't get angry or disillusioned" and "did not pack up and go home."
She says Clinton has "never quit on anything in her life."
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10:05 p.m.
Michelle Obama is calling out Donald Trump in her remarks at the Democratic National Convention.
The first lady says that "when someone is cruel or acts like a bully, we don't stoop to their level."
She's not mentioning the Republican presidential nominee by name, but she's is decrying what she calls "hateful language." She says that goes against what she tries to teach her children.
Her message? She says, "When they go low, we go high."
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9:50 p.m.
Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump seems to be reveling in the drama at the Democratic National Convention as he campaigns with running mate Mike Pence.
"What a mess they have going," Trump tells supporters Monday night at a rally in North Carolina.
Trump says rival Hillary Clinton made a mistake by not choosing a more liberal running mate to appease Bernie Sanders' supporters.
Trump says: "Crazy Bernie's going crazy right now."
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9:40 p.m.
A warmup speaker at a Donald Trump rally is calling President Barack Obama a racist.
Mark Burns is a black pastor who often speaks at Trump events, and last week he had a prime-time speaking slot at the Republican National Convention.
Burns said at a Trump event in North Carolina on Monday that "President Obama is the racist."
Burns also says Democrats should be ashamed for inviting the mother of Michael Brown to speak at their convention.
Michael Brown was the unarmed black 18-year-old who was shot to death by a white police officer in Ferguson, Missouri.
Burns contends the invitation reaffirms that blacks should be afraid of police.
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9:25 p.m.
Comedian Sarah Silverman isn't mincing words in her message to die-hard Bernie Sanders supporters.
Here's what she says Monday night at the Democratic convention: "Can I just say to the Bernie or bust people, you're being ridiculous."
Silverman was one of a number of prominent entertainers who backed Sanders in the Democratic primary against Hillary Clinton. But Silverman is telling the crowd in Philadelphia — and a national television audience — that she plans to vote for Clinton.
The crowd broke into chants of "Bernie, Bernie," but Silverman quickly shot back with her quip.
As the crowd roared in applause, Minnesota Sen. Al Franken — standing next to Silverman — joked, "Listen to what you did."
Franken noted that because he was a Clinton backer and Silverman was with Sanders, they were forming a bridge.
"We're like a bridge over troubled water," he said, and they next went on to introduce singer Paul Simon.
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9:10 p.m.
Al Franken went to Harvard University, but at the Democratic National Convention, he's claiming a degree from Trump University instead.
The former "Saturday Night Live" comedian — who's now a Minnesota senator — jokes that he's a "world-renowned expert on right-wing megalomaniacs: Rush Limbaugh, Bill O'Reilly and now, Donald Trump."
Franken adds: "Now a little about my qualifications. I got my doctorate in megalomaniac studies from Trump University."
Trump — the Republican presidential nominee — faces lawsuits accusing him of defrauding customers at the now-defunct Trump University, which sold real estate seminars.
Franken asked the crowd of delegates if they knew that "Trump University's School of Ripping People Off is ranked second in the nation, right behind Bernie Madoff University?"
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8:50 p.m.
Democrats at their national convention are going after Donald Trump's business record.
Sen. Bob Casey of Pennsylvania is questioning where the Republican presidential nominee's products were made.
Here's what Casey says: "Dress shirts - Bangladesh. Furniture - Turkey. Picture frames - India. Wine glasses - Slovenia. Neck ties - China."
He adds, "Why would Donald Trump make his products in every corner of the globe but not in Altoona, Erie or here in Philadelphia?"
And Sen. Kristen Gillibrand of New York recalls Trump's comments about U.S. wages being too high.
She says Democrat Hillary Clinton "knows that in the richest country in the world, it's unacceptable that a mom with two kids working full time still lives in poverty."
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8:40 p.m.
Debbie Wasserman Schultz is in the building.
The outgoing Democratic Party chairwoman is watching Monday's opening night of the national convention from a private suite at the Wells Fargo Arena in Philadelphia.
The Florida congresswoman's resignation from the party post will take effect Friday.
She stepped down after the release of hacked emails suggested staff at the Democratic National Committee favored Hillary Clinton over Bernie Sanders in party's presidential primaries.
Wasserman Schultz was heckled Monday morning when speaking to her home state's delegation at breakfast. She later decided against gaveling in the convention amid concerns she'd draw more ire from Sanders supporters.
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8:25 p.m.
Hillary Clinton was campaigning in Las Vegas earlier this year when she heard directly from a young girl who was worried because her parents are living in the United States illegally.
Now 11-year-old Karla Oritz has told her story to a national audience — from the stage at the Democratic National Convention.
Karla's an American citizen who appeared with her mother at the Philadelphia gathering. Karla says she worries about what might happen if she comes home and finds her house empty.
That conversation she had with Clinton in Las Vegas ended up as part of a television ad for the Clinton campaign.
Karla says she remember how Clinton called her brave. The youngster says she wants to grow up to be a lawyer, so that "I can help other families like us."
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Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass, looks over the podium during a sound check before the kickoff of the Democratic National Convention in Philadelphia , Monday, July 25, 2016.© (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite) Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass, looks over the podium during a sound check before the kickoff of the Democratic National Convention in Philadelphia , Monday, July 25, 2016. 8:15 p.m.
Liberal stalwart Elizabeth Warren is using her Democratic convention speech to make clear her view that Americans won't fall for Donald Trump's plan to fan what she calls "the flames of fear and hatred."
The Massachusetts Democrat says in excerpts of a speech she plans to deliver later Monday that the Republican presidential nominee is peddling an old story of "divide and conquer."
Warren says Trump thinks he can win votes "by turning neighbor against neighbor" and by persuading voters that the source of their problems is "people who don't look like you, or don't talk like or don't worship like you."
She says bankers, oil companies and giant corporations benefit "when we turn on each other."
Warren says a divided America can't "fight back against a rigged system." She says "the American people are not falling for" Trump's divisive rhetoric.
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8:05 p.m.
Cory Booker is calling for the Democratic party to unite around Hillary Clinton — and the Democratic senator from New Jersey says Clinton would be a champion for the poor as president.
Remarks of Booker's speech at the party's convention have come out before his remarks later Monday. He says Clinton would measure America's greatness not by the number of millionaires and billionaires, but by how few people are living in poverty.
Booker says the country doesn't always have to agree, but the U.S. can't became a place "where our highest aspiration is that we just tolerate each other."
Booker also champions debt-free college, which he says represents the best of the Democratic party.
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8 p.m.
Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand (KEER'-sten JIHL'-uh-brand) says Hillary Clinton is the presidential candidate for paid family leave and equal pay for women.
The New York lawmaker says Clinton's life work has been defined by this single question: "How we help those who need it most?"
Gillibrand says that stands in contrast to what she says is Donald Trump's defining question: "How can I help myself most?"
Excerpts of Gillibrand's speech were released before she was to take the podium at the Democratic National Convention on Monday night.
Gillibrand, who succeeded Clinton as a New York senator, says: "The choice in this election couldn't be clearer."
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7:55 p.m.
Singer Demi Lovato is belting out her hit "Confident" at the Democratic National Convention.
Lovato performed for presidential candidate Hillary Clinton in Iowa during the campaign, and she's one of the first bold-faced names to appear on the convention stage.
The convention opened with a performance from Boys II Men. Paul Simon is set to perform later Monday, and delegates are set to hear from actress and activist Eva Longoria.
Before performing, Lovato told the crowd of delegates at the Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia that "like millions of Americans, I am living with mental illness."
She says, "But I am lucky. I had the resources and support to get treatment at a top facility." She says Hillary Clinton will help Americans in need of care get the treatment they require.
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6:55 p.m.
Hillary Clinton may not be in Philadelphia yet, but her husband has started the charm offensive at the Democratic National Convention.
An aide to former President Bill Clinton has met with members of Congress during a private reception at the Wells Fargo Arena.
Hillary Clinton plans to spend the night at her home in suburban New York after campaigning earlier in North Carolina.
The Clinton campaign has been careful not to have Bill Clinton overshadow his wife's efforts. But he's been an effective supporter, often speaking in smaller cities where Hillary Clinton might not have time to campaign.
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6:50 p.m.
"I wouldn't vote for her for dog catcher."
That's the sentiment of a Bernie Sanders delegate when talking about whether she'd support Hillary Clinton.
"No, never in a million years" — Melissa Arab of Shelby Township, Michigan, is making abundantly clear.
She says she's going to work as hard as she can to make Sanders the Democratic nominee for president.
She says "that's what I'm pledged to do and that's what Bernie told me to do."
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6:20 p.m.
Bernie Sanders' supporters are getting plenty of time at the podium at the Democratic National Convention.
Some key backers of the Vermont senator were late additions to Monday night's program — in an effort to promote party unity.
Tensions are simmering on the convention's opening night as Sanders' allies celebrate the onetime presidential candidate and advocate for Hillary Clinton's election.
Among those added are two strong Sanders supporters — Maine lawmaker Diane Russell and former NAACP president Ben Jealous.
Jealous is praised the party platform and saying, "Join us at the ballot box and we will elect Hillary Clinton as president of these United States."
Some frustrated Sanders fans are continuing to boo at the mention of Clinton's name.
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5:50 p.m.
Bernie Sanders may have asked his supporters as a "personal courtesy" not to protest at the Democratic convention — but not everyone's willing to heed that request.
Michigan delegate Bruce Fealk says he understands Sanders' position and understands why the Vermont senator is making the request.
But Fealk also says: "I'm really annoyed. ... I haven't decided yet. I want to support Bernie, but I also want to voice my displeasure with the Democratic Party."
Fealk says he sees the hacked party emails as a revelation, and says they show the party's disrespect for progressives.
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5:35 p.m.
A Bernie Sanders supporter has taken the stage at the Democratic convention and has two missions.
Diane Russell — a Maine lawmaker — is trying to sell delegates on the compromise that's been reached on the future role of superdelegates in the nominating process.
And she's stressing her support for Hillary Clinton.
Russell led an effort to abolish superdelegates — they're the party insiders who can cast their convention vote for the candidate of their choice.
She's using her convention speech to praise a deal by the party's rules committee that establishes a commission" to review the nominating process.
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5:25 p.m.
A Democratic official says Bernie Sanders' campaign has urgently reached out to Hillary Clinton's team to express concerns that tensions are still raw among Sanders delegates.
They're fuming about hacked party emails that already have led to the ouster of the head of the Democratic National Committee, Debbie Wasserman Schultz.
Aides to Clinton and Sanders have met in hopes of forming a plan to avoid excessive disruptions on the convention floor.
The Democratic official spoke on condition of anonymity in order to discuss the private discussions.
Sanders has sent out a text message and an email to delegates urging them not to engage in protests on the floor as a "personal courtesy" to him.
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5:05 p.m.
Bernie Sanders is urging supporters not to demonstrate on the floor of the Democratic National Convention.
He's sending out text messages and emails with his personal request.
Sanders is characterizing the request "as a personal courtesy to me" and urging his followers to "not engage in any kind of protest on the floor."
The Vermont senator says it is of the "utmost importance" that this be explained to the state delegations.
Sanders say "our credibility as a movement will be damaged by booing, turning of backs, walking out or other similar displays."
The challenger to Hillary Clinton is speaking later Monday at the Philadelphia convention.
It comes as many of his supporters contend the Democratic National Committee failed to be neutral during the primaries.
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5 p.m.
The Ohio congresswoman who's the chair of the Democratic National Convention is getting an earful from a rowdy group of delegates in the convention's opening moments.
During Marcia Fudge's opening remarks, she is being halted by boos and chants from Bernie Sanders' delegates at any mention of presumptive nominee Hillary Clinton.
But also cheers — from Clinton's supporters. At one point, there were chants of "Let her speak!"
Fudge is asking for respect and promising to deliver it in turn.
She says, "We are all Democrats and we need to act like it."
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4:55 p.m.
Donald Trump is suggesting China may have been involved in the hack of the Democratic National Committee's email system — even though there's no evidence to indicate Chinese involvement.
Trump made the comment at an event in Virginia — and it comes in reference to the decision by Democratic National Committee head Debbie Wasserman Schultz to step down in the wake of the email disclosure.
Here's what Trump said, with sarcasm: "Little did she know that China, Russia — one of our many, many friends — came in and hacked the hell out of us."
The cybersecurity firm CrowdStrike Inc. discovered traces of at least two sophisticated hacking groups on the Democrats' network — and both have ties to the Russian government.
Trump's campaign has laughed off suggestions that the Russians may be trying to influence the election in the Republican's favor.
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4:50 p.m.
Donald Trump says Hillary Clinton made a mistake when she picked Tim Kaine as her running mate. Trump says the Virginia senator is "the opposite" of what supporters of Clinton rival Bernie Sanders wanted.
Trump says Clinton should have picked a more liberal running mate to satisfy Sanders' supporters.
Trump calls Kaine "a weird little dude" and a political "hack," and says Kaine's record is far eclipsed by that of the GOP vice presidential candidate, Indiana Gov, Mike Pence.
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4:45 p.m.
The Democratic National Committee is offering its "deep and sincere apology" to Bernie Sanders, his supporters and the entire party for what it calls "the inexcusable remarks made over email."
The statement from incoming interim party leader, Donna Brazile, and six other officials says the comments in the emails "do not reflect the values of the DNC or our steadfast commitment to neutrality during the nominating process."
The statement says the party won't tolerate disrespectful language.
The statement wasn't signed by the outgoing DNC head, Debbie Wasserman Schultz.
She announced on Sunday that she'd step down from that job at the end of this week's Democratic National Convention in Philadelphia.
The emails suggested party officials favored Clinton over rival Sanders during the primaries.
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4:15 p.m.
Democrats have gaveled in their convention in Philadelphia — after a day of discord that sent the party chief into exile.
It was Baltimore's mayor, Stephanie Rawlings-Blake, who called the 47th Democratic convention to order. Her formal welcome was briefly extended by a slight oversight — she left the podium without actually pounding the gavel, then hurried back to pick up the gavel and perform the task.
Rawlings-Blake is a last-minute fill-in Debbie Wasserman Schultz, the ousted Democratic National Committee leader.
The Florida congresswoman was forced out of her post by a trove of leaked emails that appeared to show DNC officials favored Hillary Clinton over Sanders in their fierce primary fight. She's set to step down from the party job after the convention.
Rawlings-Blake serves as secretary of the DNC.
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4 p.m.
Donald Trump says the Democrats' outgoing party head, Debbie Wasserman Schultz, is "highly over-rated," and he's accusing Hillary Clinton of throwing Wasserman Schultz "under the bus."
Trump tells supporters in Roanoke, Virginia, that Clinton's "disloyalty was incredible" for allowing Wasserman Schultz to be pushed out.
Her exit comes after the release of hacked emails that suggest some Democratic National Committee staff members favored Clinton over primary rival Bernie Sanders.
Trump claims Wasserman Schultz "worked very hard to rig the system" in Clinton's favor.
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3:34 p.m.
Hillary Clinton says she opposes a Senate bill that would slow growth rates for housing and education benefits for veterans.
Some veterans groups call that a cut because benefits may not keep up with inflation.
Clinton tells the Veterans of Foreign Wars Monday that she'd fight against the cuts. They're part of a bill to overhaul the Department of Veterans Affairs and make it easier to fire employees for wrongdoing.
Clinton faults Republicans for "chipping away" at veterans benefits.
Republicans point out that 28 Democrats have co-sponsored the Senate bill, including Virginia Sen. Tim Kaine, Clinton's newly announced running mate.
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3:31 p.m.
Donald Trump and his running mate Mike Pence, are holding their first campaign event since the GOP convention.
The setting is a town hall event in Roanoke, Virginia.
Trump is planning a busy week of events as the Democrats hold their convention in Philadelphia.
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2:38 p.m.
The White House is pitching first lady Michelle Obama's speech Monday night as a barometer of party unity.
Democrats are trying to overcome anger from Bernie Sanders supporters to the leaked emails indicating staffers at the Democratic National Committee favored Hillary Clinton in the primary race.
White House spokesman Josh Earnest says he's confident the first lady will be warmly received at the Democratic National Convention. He says the first lady will give voice to the values and agenda that the Obama administration has pursued over the past seven years.
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This story has been corrected to reflect that the Baltimore forgot to use the gavel to open the convention, not that she forget to bring it on stage
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