good morning. 11:00 a.m. eastern, and 8:00 a.m. pacific. i am josé diaz-balart in new york with my friend and

colleague, ana cabrera. we are going to hear from some of the most prominent names in the democratic party including former president barack obama and michelle obama. >> a speech from president biden where he invoked a little humor as well. >> her story is one of the best vice presidents, and she will be a president our children can look up to. >> and joining us now from chicago, nbc's mike memoli and andrea mitchell. >> mike, as we look ahead to day two and night two, former

president obama, we all recall he made his big debut 20 years ago at the democratic national convention and he's now making the case for kamala harris. what can we expect tonight? >> reporter: he will be speaking to a much more politically-engaged audience, and he believes kamala harris and tim walz are the leaders this country needs now. he has a relationship with kamala harris going back 20 years, where they campaigned for one another. harris endorsed obama in his 2008 campaign when many in california were supporting hillary clinton. they are going to talk about the office of the president and why kamala harris is ready to succeed him. let's not sleep on the fact that michelle obama is also speaking tonight. we talked so much, especially when this were a biden-trump

race, we have heard from her associates that she's not a political person or campaign person and she can talk more about the personal qualities of kamala harris and defend her against the tacks we are seeing on kamala harris, and speak to the voters maybe on the sidelines but are just tuning into the race right now. >> andrea, the question everybody may have is who is the bigger star? we will hear from barack and michelle obama, but what does it say seven years after leaving the white house she's still a headliner at the dnc and one of our country's global stars? >> absolutely. michelle obama is the biggest figure, political -- really a superstar on the political stage, and she does not like politics and does not do politics and probably would not be here if not for kamala harris because she was never that close to the bidens, frankly, and

there was always residual tension there. the fact that she's here tonight in chicago as one of the headliners is fascinating. she will be one of the biggest stars of this convention. of course we know that harris and walz are in milwaukee not far from here. they will be at the same arena that the republicans were at for their convention and in some ways competing or probably satelliting in to the primetime here, but i doubt very much it would be to interrupt michelle obama's appearance, and more likely it would be something else, even barack obama, but nothing will probably interrupt -- unless i am really wrong about that as they test the mics behind us, and michelle obama is the big headliner tonight. >> the country will be anxiously awaiting their remarks. it's been a few years since we have heard a speech from either of the barack obamas -- obamas.

>> we know the popularity of both president barack obama and michelle obama. remember, barack obama ran on the audacity of hope, and harris' language is different and the times are different, but the symbolism for the country, for awful us, that we have a future that sees the possibility of a woman of color becoming the first woman and a woman of color to be president is not going to be lost on any of us. >> like, you know, going back to president biden last night, he received a standing ovation even before he spoke. how are those in biden world feeling about his speech last night? >> well, it was really quite a moment. i was watching on the floor as the convention hall just

erupted. the depth of affection and love and respect for his service even from some of the democrats who wanted him to step down was palpable in the room last night, and you could see the emotion from president biden especially after the introduction from his daughter. those i spoke to were proud of their boss last night, and they felt he gave a forceful defense of his record. it was, of course, adapted to highlight the ways in which he feels vice president harris has been an important partner for him in the white house. he was also very direct in talking about the threat he still believes donald trump poses to our democracy. that's not something we have heard kamala harris talking as much about since she became the nominee, and that's an important role biden will continue to play. he still has a lot on his plate he wants to do before leaving office and that includes campaigning aggressively for

harris and against trump. >> many heavyweights coming out for the convention to make the case for vice president harris, including former senator, hillary clinton, who unsuccessfully ran against former president trump in 2016. here's some of what she said. >> it's no surprise, is it, that he's lying about kamala's record, and sounds familiar, but we have him on the run now. we have to fight for her as she will fight for us. you know what? it still takes a village to raise a family and win a campaign. >> andrea, how significant is it for hillary clinton to make the

case for vice president harris? >> it was incredible. it was a good speech, and she was signifying by passing the torch to kamala harris that she feels, and many of her supporters feel, that she paved the way because kamala harris is not really emphasizing gender aside from the issue of abortion, but the glass ceiling that she would be breaking if she becomes president, that's not as central of a core mission for her as it was an argument by hillary clinton in 2016, and previously in 2008 when she lost the primary to barack obama. it's almost as though hillary clinton made it more acceptable for americans, men and women, to understand and welcome the idea of a woman as president, and made it easier just as she

referenced all the women who have run before her, and she referenced shirley chism that i covered in 1972 that i covered as a kid reporter, and all the path breakers, just the women in history who have gone through so much. her mother, dorothy, in this hometown of chicago, for the clintons, the right to vote, the passage finally of the 19th amendment was just two days ago with one man's vote, one delegate after getting a letter from his mom, and that was, you know, 100 plus years ago -- 104 years ago, i think, so that's what she was talking about the progression of women's history. it was such a generous, nonresentful open hearted enthusiastic appeal, and the rally for the crowd went over

well. >> there's such a wealth of knowledge and experience that you bring. we want to talk about path breakers. you, andrea, are one of those people that continue to show just what it is to be experienced and know what you know, but -- for many people this week is the vice president's introduction as the nominee for president, and we heard from jasmine that became emotional when she talked about the vp welcoming her, and we heard about harris standing up to bullies, and what does it say to hear about who the vice president is from those that know her best? >> it's an extremely powerful way to show the country who kamala harris is through the lens and actual experiences of people that know her. you know, having sat here last

night, you could really feel the entire -- the entire convention feeling it at the same time. hard to know how it was taken at home, but i would say it had to have been very powerful, because representative crocket was so human, right? it was such a personal story. i think the other thing is, like any convention, you are trying to make sure that the public knows who the candidate is for themselves, not as framed by the other side. that's why kamala harris is not talking about donald trump except to say, say it to my face. but it is very, very powerful to have people share their stories. i just want to say one other thing, because andrea is exactly right about hillary clinton in her speech, but the other thing hillary clinton was doing in that speech was reminding all of us why it is such -- and she said these words, she said the dream of the ceiling broken, and

that was meaningful for a whole bunch of people, and some of the stories that we were hearing from the other participants, including jasmine crocket, was exactly the same story about how kamala is broad shoulders for others. >> if i could say one word here, one thing. >> sure. >> the diversity of the deep bench that they showed with some of the others, reverend warnock, and josé, you and ana are the breakthroughs that make our hearts sing. >> we love you. thanks for saying that. all of you, thanks for this discussion, and as we look back last night and forward to tonight, and we appreciate you. in case you were sleeping -- >> in case, because it was late, right, when the president was speaking last night, you can find his entire speech on our

msnbc youtube channel. coming up next, steve kornacki will be back at his big board with a look at the state of the race. hours to go before barack obama takes the stage. later, donald trump and j.d. vance head to michigan and wisconsin today on their counter programming tour. >> we're back in 90 seconds. you are watching special coverage right here on msnbc. e o every thursday. help fuel today with boost high protein, complete nutrition you need, and the flavor you love. so, here's to now... now available: boost max! power e*trade's award-winning trading app makes trading easier. with its customizable options chain, easy-to-use tools and paper trading to help sharpen your skills, you can stay on top of the market from wherever you are. e*trade from morgan stanley power e*trade's easy to-use tools make complex trading less complicated.

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democracy. in 2024, we need you to vote! we need you to keep the senate. we need you to win back the house of representatives. and above all, we need you to beat donald trump! elect kamala and tim. >> president biden speaking last night at the dnc, urging democrats to come together and vote. it has been less than a month since he dropped out of the presidential race and this morning we are taking a look at where the polls stand between vice president harris and former

president trump. >> steve kornacki with us with at the big board. what is the state of the race today? >> we have been talking about this, overall kamala harris has been doing better in the polling versus trump than biden had been, and in our poll harris leading trump by two points right now and biden was trailing by three. we will look at gender and education. these are the two big fissures we are always talking about when it comes to elections. we are looking at gender here, and this is men right now and you are seeing in 2020 in the biden-trump race in 2020, trump carried been by five points, and there were different sources there, but trump by five among men in 2020. after the debate when joe biden was still in the race after the debate against trump, trump was up by 12 just before biden got out of the race. now in the one month since

harris replaced biden in the harris and trump polling, trump's lead sits by seven right now, and that's still bigger for trump than it had been in 2020. no major shift from 2020 right now. among women, again, in 2020, biden carried women by double digits over donald trump. biden's lead among women dropped to just 5 points in the polling before he dropped out of the race and now with harris replacing biden you can see harris improving that number for democrats up to nine, and still not quite at the biden level. and overall the gender gap has been a feature of the american elections back to 1980. the gender gap you are seeing in the polling right now is consistent with what we saw in 2020 and consistent with what we saw in 2016. it's big but in the national polling it's not new. the cautionary note is there's

state polling that is finding much bigger gender gaps is some of the states, so at least in that poll and some of the battleground states, michigan in particular, they are finding a bigger gender gap. so a split between what the national poll something saying and what the state polling -- at least the "new york times" is saying, and you are not seeing a big difference historically in the gender gap. and then education, and we are talking about white voters are 70% of the electorate, and two groups of white voters, with a college degree and without going in totally different directions politically. these are white voters with a college degree, and biden carried them by nine in 2020. used to be a big republican group. after that debate, biden was up by 12 and still doing strong with this group of voters and harris maintained that since coming in. white voters without a college degree. this is a group that used to be

democratic and strongly has become republican. how strong? trump won these by 29 points in 2020, and he had been leading by 31 before biden dropped up, and now trump is up by 23, and with harris in the race, and democrats would love for this to stay the case and the cautionary vote is the polling in the 2020 polling, he led in the group by 21. there was an election day vote that emerged for trump you didn't see in the polling and we will see if that's the case this time around. >> steve kornacki, thank you so much. >> you got it. up next, breaking overnight. israeli forces recover the bodies of six hostages in gaza. >> meanwhile, back at home, what the families of the hostages in gaza are doing at the dnc. e dnc.

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came into stark review last night after israel recovered six hostages. matt, what have we learned about the operation to recover the bodies? >> reporter: we know the israelis launched ground incursions several times since october 7th. it's important to note these six people who were killed, they were known to have been captured alive on october 7th, so they were killed at some point in the past ten months. we don't exactly know how. all but five of them were known to have already died. they could have possibly been killed by israeli bombardments or by hamas or one of their other captors. this is an outstanding question and one the idf will be investigating. this is something obviously that is going to be devastating to hear for those families of the hostages, and as we know most of

them already knew their family members had died while they were in captivity. there was a report from the newspaper of report in israel stating it was possible some of these were killed by fighting by the israelis around that area in -- by the idf. >> thank you. turning back to chicago, where protesters are expected again during the dnc. one group of demonstrators creating what they are calling a hostage square chicago. also this morning law enforcement officials added an additional layer of fencing after some of the security barriers were breached yesterday. we are joined from chicago at

the hostage square exhibit. adrienne, what are officials expecting there today? >> reporter: ana, good morning to you. they are expecting more protests and demonstrations, demonstrations like this one organized by the israeli american council. to my left, there are artist working together here on an exhibit they call wings of hope, and they still have hope despite the devastating news we heard our colleague talking about, and that's not all. they have milk cartons. milk cartons are often an image showcasing the faces of those missing, and here we have those who were kidnapped and those who were murdered. i spoke with the organizers of this event and she said so many people are trying to have their voices heard, and here's the message they are trying to convey. >> first of all we want to convey a message of solidarity with israel and the hostage

families, and to convey a message that as american citizens we care about america and we care about israel and we care about the connection and the alliance between them. >> reporter: this space is available for those that want to stop by throughout the day. later there will be spub speakers, including members of congress. there's also a religious component where they will hold prayer. at the end of the day, this is a week where so many people are trying to have their voices heard as the dnc is underway. the organizer says this is their way of sending a loud message without shouting. >> yeah, that message loud and clear in looking at the faces of the hostages. thank you. and up next, we will talk to somebody that crafted nearly 500 speeches former president obama has given. what we could hear from obama tonight. you're watching special

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33 past the hour. in just a couple hours former president barack obama will address the national convention 20 years after he made his national debut at the 2004 dnc. >> if there's a child on the

south side of chicago can't read, that matters to me even if it's not my child. if there's a senior citizen somewhere that can't pay for prescription drugs, that threatens my self liberties. >> that's a walk down memory lane there. a much younger president obama. joining us, the man that served as an obama speech writer and is the author of the upcoming book "say it well." terry, we are so grateful to have you with us with what you know of the obamas and a speechwriter, and you wrote nearly 500 of his speeches. what do you think to be the main themes for tonight's speech? >> i think what you will see is

what we have been seeing from barack obama for 30 -- for 20 years now. as you said, 20 years ago at the democratic convention in boston, a speech propelled him to ultimately a national office. when you look at that speech and you look at the farewell address he gave, for instance, the themes are remarkably similar, because he has been consistent in his values and vision for the country, and he will talk about his achievements of president and of president biden, and then a endorsement of kamala harris to continue that legacy, and then he will be a continuation of his vision in 2004, that this is a country that welcomes all people. some of the best candidates, they embody their message and she does that. >> terry, you have such a unique and wonderful skill, and i mean

a good speech sometimes makes history, and it certainly can change history. i am thinking when you look back at churchill, we will fight them on the beaches and fight them in the hills, or fdr, the only thing we have to fear is fear itself, or jfk's, ask not what your country can do for you, and that's was a sorensen line. where does the skill of the writer match with the skill of the orador. >> when it works correctly, the speechwriter is channeling the speaker, channeling the president. so your job is to give a script, give the speaker a speech they would give if they only had time to do it themselves. we had a team of six incredible

speech writers for obama, and there are speech writers here at the convention working with every speaker making sure they are consistent and stay on message, and the best speech writers help the speaker channel their voice, and barack obama famously said he's a better speechwriter as his speech writers, and it's true. i asked him once what speeches are you most proud of, and he mentioned the 2004 speech where you bring your heart and head together and all the preparation pays off and you are in the moment. those are the speeches that will be standing out this week when a speaker does that. >> what goes into creating an iconic moment or the most memorable lines from speeches? how much are you focusing on a line that might stand the test of time versus an over arcing feeling the speech can invoke?

>> if president obama felt we were getting too caught up to come up with a line, and one of the things that barack obama was always telling us was get the story right that you want to tell, get your narrative right and the lines will follow. i think that's true when you look back at some of his greatest speeches, the great speeches throughout history that you mentioned. the speaker knew who they were and what they believed and what they wanted to convey to their audience. get the big story right and then beautiful lines will follow, so as much as we love to have applause lines that gets the audience on their feet, i think the speeches that sound out and the ones that resonate is where the speaker tells a powerful story about who they are and their vision for the future. >> how important is it that the speaker is a great orader, and churchill was not a great

speaker, and his cadence was different. how important is that? how do you think that helps the speech to become more digestible to people? >> sure. well, the delivery is huge. delivery -- you can have a beautifully written speech but if the speaker can't deliver it, it will not land the same way. i have been doing this for 30 years and have been blessed to work with somebody like barack obama and works with folks that did not always deliver the speech the way i heard it, the way i heard it in my head. i think the delivery is important, because it's whether that speaker has a sense of the crowd, if they are starting to cheer and applaud, you can ride that applause. one thing is creating an experience with the audience, and the best speakers and leaders are one where they forge

a deep emotional connection in the moment. i was here last night and there were moments when you could feel it, and there are moments when you hear speeches and don't feel it, and i think creating an experience that somebody can take with them, and creating the hope and energy that let's them go out there and knock on doors and campaign and work hard and make phone calls and donate, and that's what wins campaigns and that's the energy and experience that a great speaker creates and that's the whole purpose of the convention, right, is to energize the party and send them out and do the work for the next 70 or so days. >> quickly, i am curious, and i am sure you studied speeches as part of the work you do, and do you have a favorite speech in history that stands out? >> sure. you know, i do, and this is one that a lot of speechwriters often talk about, and it was where it talks about how the

smallest of actions create ripples that create a tidal wave and can tear down the walls of injustice, and it's a speech about young people changing the world. it's decades old but you can read it now and it can still speak to you today. that's one of my favorites, and i have a lot of favorites but that's one of my favorites. >> that endures the test of time. thank you so much for sharing with us this morning. >> thank you. up next, a warning from advance to be trump's running mate. >> plus, once a very powerful democratic senator leaves office today in disgrace. >> you're watching special coverage here on msnbc.

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or about pain in your hip, groin, or thigh, as unusual thigh bone fractures have occurred. don't let a break put you on a shelf. talk to your doctor about building new bone with evenity®! former president trump and his running mate, j.d. vance, trump will be in michigan to talk about crime and safety, and vance will talk about the topic while on a top in wisconsin. after he spoke in pennsylvania yesterday, trump was asked if his personal attacks on vice president harris would help with swing voters. >> you have criticized her appearance. you have criticized her intelligence. is that the message to win over those moderate voters that you are going to need in the middle?

>> no, i don't think so. i think the message is what a bad job they have done. if you look at this economy, if you look at inflation -- you know, i love this country and i have to do what it takes to win. >> joining us now, nbc news correspondent, garrett haake, who covers the trump campaign, and mark short, former chief of staff to vice president mike pence. garrett, what is the message in the swing state to counter the dnc? >> it will be about crime and public safety. it's one of donald trump's favorite issues, and he likes to tie it to migrant crime, and he shows that crime has been going down from its pandemic level highs. i thought his answer to the question from the reporter from cbs there was telling because it tells us a little bit about the trump strategy that we have

known, but you hear trump say it there from the jump. they are not reaching out to pull in the moderate voters, and that's never been the strategy. the degree they are going after the traditional swing voters and suburban voters, is the fear of another democratic administration and what will happen there will push them into their camp, and you heard that from his answer right there. >> okay, garrett. thank you. forgive me, i thought maybe we were going to hear more sound from donald trump in that moment. appreciate your reporting, garrett. >> absolutely. meanwhile, the vice president will hold a rally in the same arena in milwaukee where the republicans held their convention last month. she will be actually watching the dnc with a group of voters there. how do you see their strategy so far? >> as far as the harris strategy or -- >> yeah, harris.

>> i think -- considering, i think the reality is most of the major issues are a concern of voters from the economy to the boder favor trump, but he's unable to stay on the messages. i think that's benefiting her and i think there's a renewed enthusiasm among democrats since biden stepped aside. and with robert kennedy's support collapsing, he will need the suburban voters. i think clearly that right now they are not doing enough to reach out to those voters. >> what are they doing to reach out to the voters? how would you define the trump strategy at this point because initially he thought he would run against president biden who he keeps talking about there on the campaign trail and seems to wish for biden as his current opponent, and i wonder if he's wishing for biden or

strategically thinking it's in his best interest to talk about biden. >> i think there was a missed opportunity in the last 30 to 40 days. as harris descended into the position, in some cases she was ill defined and the trump campaign had an opportunity to tie her to her voting record as a senator when she was to the left of bernie sanders. i know she's recanted some of the positions now, and not focussed on whether she's indian american or -- >> or talking about intelligence and other -- >> i think there was opportunity to tie she wants the american people. so that creates a bigger burden for them now. >> i mean, with such a truncated election for vice president harris, i mean, it really is a short period of time. the dnc and this last four weeks have been really kind of -- everybody can say it's been one of the best weeks, right? for the democrats and for harris over the last four weeks. but how does she define herself

when you have the republicans not able to define her as they wish they could? >> well, i think the reality is the convention should be a good week for her. but i'm not so sure that her policy rollout has been great. you look at rent control policies, some of the economic issues she's put out, those should be huge opportunities for the trump campaign to draw a significant contrast. but i don't think that they're connecting on that because i think, again, they'd rather -- for whatever reason they're not able to focus on the policies. >> given your connection to trump's former vice president, mike pence, i want you to listen to this sound from maryland congressman jamie raskin. he had this message for trump's current running mate, j.d. vance. >> do you understand why there was a sudden job opening for running mate on the gop ticket? they tried to kill your

predecessor. they tried to kill him because he would not follow trump's plan to destroy and nullify the votes of millions of americans. >> marc, your reaction to that. >> well, look, i'll always be proud of vice president pence's stance on january 6th. i think he stood for the constitution, as he should have. and i think the reality is that more republicans should have acknowledged the danger that we faced on january 6th. it's of course going to be used by democrats for political purposes. but too many i think republicans have embraced the notion that january 6th was simply a hoax when in fact it wasn't. >> we expect to hear from some republicans at the dnc. former congressman adam kinzinger. also stephanie grisham, who served in the trump white house as a press secretary, as communications director. are we going to hear from mike pence do you think more this election? >> i think he's said his piece

about where he stands on this. i don't think there's any way he could do what kinzinger and others have done and embrace this ticket. i think it's one of the most far left tickets that the american people have seen in a presidential race and i think that everything that kamala has tried to advance would be antithetical to what mike pence fought for as a conservative. >> marc short, thank you for being with us. he with appreciate it. >> thank you. >> next will former house speaker kevin mccarthy finally gets revenge on matt gaetz for helping take away his speakership? >> you're watching special coverage right here on msnbc. don't go anywhere. t go anywhere. hi, my name is damian clark. and if you have both medicare and medicaid, i have some really encouraging news that you'll definitely want to hear. depending on the plans available in your area, you may be eligible to get extra benefits with a humana medicare advantage dual-eligible special needs plan. all these

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while democrats are preparing for night two of the dnc, primary voters in alaska, florida and wyoming are heading to the polls tonight. >> joining us now from the dnc in chicago, jake sherman, co-founder of punchbowl news and an msnbc political contributor. and a guy who knows a lot about capitol hill and all of these primary races. jake, florida congressman matt gaetz is among those up for re-election. his primary is tonight.

it's the last stop on what's being called former house speaker kevin mccarthy's revenge tour, where he's been targeting the republicans who helped oust him as speaker. what are you expecting from this race? >> not much revenge in matt gaetz's district, unfortunately, for mccarthy because gaetz is going to most likely, based on the reporting we've done and the polling we've seen, dispatch his challenger pretty easily. but the goal if you talk to people close to mccarthy is to damage gaetz enough that he cannot run for governor or higher office at some point in the sunshine state. now, that is a bank shot. right? he is hoping that gaetz, a, runs for public office and, b, people remember the mud that he has slung during this campaign during a future race. i'm not sure that's a sure thing. but kevin mccarthy's revenge tour is going to end effectively with just one victory, which is bob good in virginia. he was able to take out bob good, the leader of the house freedom caucus in that richmond area district, which was a big

victory for mccarthy. >> yeah. i mean, meantime new jersey senator bob menendez's resignation goes into effect today and now he's asking a judge to throw out his guilty verdict on federal bribery charges. what happens to the seat next? >> the seat is going to stay democratic, jose. i mean, there's almost no doubt that bob menendez's seat is going to be filled by a democrat, and in this case it's andy kim. andy kim is a member of the house of representatives who was a shocking winner of that primary where phil murphy's wife, the governor's wife got in, and andy kim made quick work of her and became the nominee. and i don't anticipate that the menendez legal troubles are going to hurt andy kim in that race at all. so some big action around the country as we're all here in chicago focused on the convention. >> thanks for bringing us up to speed. jake sherman, always good to see you. and good luck as you continue with your coverage of the dnc. that wraps up this hour for us. i'm ana cabrera. >> i'm jose diaz-balart. thank you for the privilege of

your time. andrea mitchell picks up with more coverage of the dnc from chicago right now. >> reporter: and right now on a special edition of "andrea mitchell reports" from the democratic national convention in chicago. joe biden downplaying party differences over how he was pressured to step aside for kamala harris. forcefully passing the torch with a powerful pitch for his vice president. >> it's been the honor of my lifetime to serve as your president. i love the job. but i love my country more. i love my country more. >> kamala harris holding a rally tonight, reaching out to swing state voters in nearby milwaukee, wisconsin after thrilling the delegates at the dnc here last night with a shout out to the president. >> joe, thank you for your historic leadership. we are forever