In a response to Trump's attempt to push back the Sept. 18 sentencing date in his hush money case until after the election, Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg disputed many of the claims made by Trump's lawyers, but said he would defer the decision to Justice Juan Merchan, who is overseeing the case.

Trump's team is seeking a delay following his 34 felony convictions.

When asked if he believes Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson calling Israel’s offensive a "genocide" has a lot of significance, Hatem Abudayyeh, one of the leaders of the protest march in the city, said it is a big deal. He said it builds on Johnson having been the final vote for Chicago, the DNC host city, to become the first major city to call for a cease-fire.

Biden is expected to receive a hero's welcome at the DNC tonight after dropping out of the race and reviving Democrats' chances of victory in the election. But it's a busy line-up.

Per a morning media briefing, 2016 Democratic nominee and former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, UAW President Shawn Fain and Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY) are also scheduled to speak.

Others expected to address the Democratic Party faithful include Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass, Gov. Andy Beshear (KY) and Sen. Chris Coons (DE).

David Axelrod, a former senior adviser to Barack Obama, has warned Democrats against getting swept away by the euphoria of the Harris candidacy, arguing Trump “might well” win if the election was held today.

Axelrod told CNN that Harris has been successful in clawing back Trump's advantage in national and swing state polls since taking over from Biden at the top of the ticket.
But he pointed to Biden in 2020 beating Trump by 7 million votes nationally, but only by around 45,000 in the three most closely fought battleground states, to illustrate how the Electoral College system favors the Republican Party.

“This is still a very competitive race. If the election were today, I’m not sure who would win and I think it may well be President Trump, because it’s an Electoral College fight,” Axelrod said.

The GOP has triumphed in three presidential elections since 2000. But only once — in 2004 — did it also win the popular vote.

Teamsters President Sean M. O'Brien had a prime speaking slot at the Republican National Convention last month in Milwaukee, but he won't be addressing Democrats this week at their convention in Chicago.

A Teamsters spokesperson told HuffPost that O'Brien did not receive a response from the DNC after requesting an opportunity to speak.

Most major unions are strong allies of the Democratic Party, which, unlike the GOP, pursues pro-labor policies and seeks to grow the labor movement. O'Brien faced harsh criticism on the left for courting Republicans and former President Donald Trump by speaking at the RNC.

The DNC's snub shows some of the political risk in O'Brien's GOP outreach: He could lose favor with pro-union Democrats with little to gain from mostly anti-union Republicans.

Though O'Brien won't be taking the stage in Chicago, plenty of other labor leaders will be getting their message out to Democratic delegates. CBS News reported that United Auto Workers President Shawn Fain, AFL-CIO President Liz Shuler and others will speak at the DNC Monday.

Former White House Chief of Staff Ron Klain told "CNN This Morning" that Biden is “very enthusiastic” about his appearance at the DNC this evening, where he plans to make the case for the Harris-Walz ticket.

First lady Jill Biden is also expected to address the convention this evening. Klain denied there were any hard feelings over the way in which her husband was pushed to drop out of the race, adding that the Bidens are “giant fans and friends” of Harris and second gentleman Doug Emhoff.

“I know one of her big concerns when the president left the race was making sure that the party would unite behind the vice president as it has,” Klain said.

Meanwhile, Trump's personal attacks on Harris show he is a “little perplexed” about how to respond to her candidacy, Klain added.

“I think he has only one playbook, it’s a combination of misogyny and racism,” he said.

While the media focus is on the DNC in Chicago, Trump takes his stumbling campaign to Pennsylvania once again, underlining the state's key battleground status.

Per the campaign, Trump is expected to speak on the economy at Precision Custom Components in York, Pennsylvania, at 3 p.m. ET. The trip marks Trump's 10th visit to the state since launching his 2024 bid, CBS reports.

The Republican nominee was last in Pennsylvania on Saturday, when he used a rally in Wilkes-Barre to launch more personal attacks on Harris despite being urged to stick to an economic message.

Elsewhere in Pennsylvania, Trump's running mate, JD Vance, is today set to speak at a waste management company.

President Joe Biden will deliver the keynote address today to a Democratic Party seemingly transformed by the momentum Vice President Kamala Harris has brought to the race.

Biden is expected to give a lengthy endorsement of Harris, criticize Trump, and then leave Chicago to allow the convention to focus on the vice president, the Associated Press reported.

Each day of the convention will feature a theme. Today's theme is "For the People."

"The accomplishments and results President Biden delivered for people, with Vice President Harris by his side, will be on full display during the convention, as will Kamala Harris’s commitment to fighting on behalf of everyday Americans. At its core, the Harris-Walz ticket is a ticket for the people," the DNC explains.

Joe Scarborough, a co-host of MSNBC's "Morning Joe," said Trump's biggest challenge is the "exhaustion" from voters who backed him in the two previous presidential elections but have since soured on him over his role in the Jan. 6, 2021, insurrection, among other things.

"So now, it seems you have exhaustion on that side versus energy and joy" over Harris' campaign, Scarborough said.

Scarborough added that a new ABC News-Washington Post-Ipsos poll showing the vice president ahead in a head-to-head matchup with Trump indicates the Democrats' strategy "really seems to be working."