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two of the convention, where she's going and what she plans to do once she gets there. plus, in the convention hall a change in schedule. the campaign days the cheers last night went on so long the program will start earlier tonight to keep the big speakers in prime time. it's renewing that ongoing question, how do you harness all that energy? i will ask all about it when a top spokesman for the harris campaign joins me later this hour. and surrogate in chief, president biden is ready to hit the road after passing the baton to had his vice president. while he says he has more to do can he help turn the affection from the convention into votes come november? so much to get to from chicago but we begin with party star power coming to the convention night tonight at the dnc. two of the greatest orders in the democratic party both happen to be named obama set to take the stage just hours from now. barack and michelle obama trying to surpass the high bar that was

set last night, and it is high, a lot of the delegates who were in this hall last night probably woke up a little hoarse this morning because it was a raucous night one, including that early surprise appearance by kamala harris. but tonight she's taking her show on the road, heading for milwaukee, as she tries to take the excitement building inside the hall directly to voters in a key battleground state. joining me here in chicago nbc news white house correspondent monica alba, peter baker is "the new york times" chief white house correspondent and an msnbc police cal analyst. michael hardaway, great to have all of you here. some people might think it's a little counterintuitive to leave your own convention and counterprogram. so what's going on? >> exactly. this is something that in a race that never has really been defined by typical and predictable we're seeing a new element as well and that is the vice president's team saying, we don't want to relinquish that opportunity to be so close to a

battleground state and not go over there and acknowledge that and speak to those voters, but they say it has the added benefit of going to the precise arena where the republican national convention was held just about a month ago. so that's something that the vice president, governor tim walz will be talk being when they are in milwaukee tonight. but the timing does raise some questions because if last night was any indication things can run behind schedule, things can change and she is set to be speaking essentially around when prime time is set to get under way, but the other major element tonight that the convention planners are pointing to is this roll call that they're going to be doing which will also be a little unconventional. they're hoping once that wraps up they're going to beam in vice president harris' speech from milwaukee into the convention hall here in chicago to create some energy and excitement and then we expect the vice president and governor walz to head back here, but it's leaving open the question of are they coming back here in time for some of the high-profile speeches later in the evening to

perhaps join the obamas? it's unclear whether, a, they can logistically make that work and, b, whether that's the intention. instead they're trying to get momentum going in wisconsin to bring that back here to the convention hall to talk about what really former president obama's message will be which is an all hands on deck approach for the final sprint and that's why they felt they had to have a rally tonight. >> i mentioned the program last night went way late. i mean, look, joe biden wasn't in prime time. maybe up here on the west coast. and that's something they don't want to happen with michelle and barack obama. >> no. >> so there's a news piece in your newspaper by david sanger, he writes after biden's farewell speech it is mr. obama's job to operate ms. harris from the biden years while making the case that she was central enough from the biden administration to slip seamlessly into the job and he must seek to transfer to ms. harris the sense of endless horizons that surrounded his own

first run for the presidency. how tricky is that? >> not tricky at all. no pressure to follow barack obama and michelle obama. this is what she has to do. joe biden's time came and went, monday night is over and now it's her time to take ownership of the party, take ownership of the leadership and she's going to have the validation of barack obama to do it and michelle obama as well. i think that it is a trick to both own the best parts of the biden record while distancing yourself from the parts that aren't popular. that's a real challenge there, but she has shown that like obama in a way she presents in a more energetic, positive oriented way. i mean, even when you saw biden last night much as the crowd loved his speech and loved him, there was -- it felt angry at times. his face was angry, there were no jokes in there, he was very serious and sober, as these times of course demand, but i think what she has done these

last few weeks is inject a certain sense of positive energy and that's what she's going to get from the obamas tonight. >> campaigning could be fun, who knew. michael, the obamas have been strategic with the performances, they liked the bay the bushes handled their post presidency. michelle obama i think it's fair to say never loved politics anyway. does that make their appearance here all the more anticipated and does it make the stakes even higher. >> >> i think that's right. i think when president obama left the white house he intended to ride off into the sunset and enjoy life. >> he's golfing a lot. >> and spending august in the vineyard mostly. >> yeah. >> i think he is the perfect person for this conversation tonight. what you will see is a pivot between president biden spoke last evening and president obama tonight probably is our best messenger of this generation will help make the pivot into vice president harris and her conversation tomorrow.

>> so, peter, when you and i both covered the white house it was pretty well known, it was kind of an inside joke that the obamas were pretty competitive, one of the things she liked to rib him about was her book sold more copies than his. will they be competing tonight? >> i found it odd to do it on the same night. it makes sense given the imperatives they have for scheduling. having a back to back is going to invite that comparison. she was such a hit at the 2016 convention when they were going up against -- for the first time and she said when they go low, we go high. the crowd loved her, the national audience loved her. they liked him, too. >> that is one of the most iconic lines from a political speech in this century. >> the question is whether it applies anymore because a lot of democrats don't believe anymore when they go low we should go high. democrats believe let's punch as much as they punch. that's one of the reasons why she is in milwaukee, she's

trolling trump. >> and last night i think you could argue that that michelle obama imperative did did not apply. you saw people including hillary clinton and some of the other high-profile democrats taking on trump straight on and not mincing any words and getting personal and having critical in a way that they're saying there's no time for that loftiness of reserving our fire. they are bringing it and they plan to this week. >> fire is i think a really good word to use. i felt it as i was down on the floor talking to people. you can't mistake it. but i talked to both congressman jim clyburn and kellyanne conway this morning and they both told me pretty much the same thing which is energy is great, turning it into a ground game, turning it into something that actually ends up in votes is a different thing all together and then i also talked to pramila jayapal and she told me this. take a listen. >> i have been to georgia, to michigan for the harris campaign, going to wisconsin, traveling all over, and what i

see is -- is my gut sense is we have a real shot to win this, and i feel good about t but we can't take anything for granted. >> not only a real shot for kamala harris, but i'm talking to people who are running for congress, who are running for state legislatures, the democrats feel like they've got the mojo, but how do they turn, again, that energy into something that translates into votes? >> you know, it's really interesting because last night was electric for many reasons. aoc i think is actually key to that conversation because she was electric. you put her on the ground, you have her travel around the country, energize young voters and progressives and help them understand what's at stake. this is the election of our lifetime. i think she is a person who could be a partner to the vice president in telling that story. >> what's the story they are going to tell to young voters who every single presidential campaign it's going to be the young voters and mostly it falls short. >> sure. first of all, economically gen z

is one of the most disadvantaged groups of any generation. telling the story of why the child tax credit and $25,000 down payment helping you with buying a house and how these basic things matter to that generation. those are stories that they can tell. this administration has done incredibly well in a number of ways for younger people, but they have to tell the story and aoc is the person to tell that story. >> peter, what do we know about the relationship between barack obama and kamala harris? i mean, she did back him over hillary clinton when he ran for president and reporting is she called him when joe biden said i'm going to endorse you. >> right. >> but he knows something that very few people know and that is how to run a winning campaign for president. >> right. >> he is the only person who knows how to run a winning campaign as a person of color. so what's that relationship and can he help? >> yeah, that relationship goes

back even further, back to 2003 when she was in california and a local official there and he comes to the state to do fundraising for his first race for the u.s. senate, and they get to know each other then and she later hosts a fundraiser for him in california, then goes to illinois for his campaign kickoff in 2007. is there in grant park in 2008 when he wins, and he came to california to support her race as well. they go back now for 20 years so it's a real relationship, a real friendship. i do think you're right that he has something to offer her to kind of tell her his experience while understanding things are different today than in 2008. the country is different and the opposition is different. this is not john mccain, not mitt romney, this is donald trump. she has to run a different kind of campaign than he did, but he can help her, i think, make that point that you are making as to how do you connect to voters who otherwise might not see themselves in the screen and might be concerned about that, particularly white working class voters in the midwest where they

really need to win in order to get the battleground states. >> mon ra, thank you. michael, peter, you are going to stick around. in 90 seconds president biden officially handing off the baton to harris in that emotional dnc speech. what will we see from him in the next five months he still has left in office? we have that after this. >> her story represents the best american story. and like many of our best presidents, she's also vice president. that's a joke. power e*trade's easy to-use tools make complex trading less complicated. custom scans help you find new trading opportunities,

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get your business out there and get more customers in here. no sweat... for you anyway. create a beautiful website in minutes with godaddy. president biden says he's not ready to hit the trail for kamala harris after giving the convention speech he never wanted or expected to deliver. greeted by his daughter whose introduction brought him to tears and by a nearly four minute long-standing ovation and shouts time and time and time again of "we love joe." the president taking a little time to take in the appreciation of his party as he made the case for kamala harris against donald trump. he also denied he's angry at the people who encouraged him to step down. >> 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. america, i gave my best to you. i made a lot of mistakes in my career, but i gave my best to you. for 50 years, like many of you, i give my heart and soul to our nation. >> joining me now is nbc's mike memoli. mike, he has taken a few days off with his family, they're going to southern california for the rest of this convention time, but what, then, do we expect to see from joe biden and a campaigner in chief for kamala harris? >> well, chris, the president certainly is entitled to some r & r after what has been a tumultuous several months since that debate on june 27th. the part of his time in southern california is going to be spent with advisers mapping out precisely how he expects and wants to spend the next five

months in office. we know there is a lot on the official side from domestic policy, especially foreign policy that he wants to do, but we also heard from him last night that he is going to be busy on the trail. take a listen. >> kamala and tim understand that this nation must continue to be a place of possibilities. not just for the few of us, but for all of us. join me in promising your whole heart to this effort. i know where my heart will be. i promise i will be the best volunteer harris and walz's camp has ever seen. >> so we can now just picture that new air force one blazer maybe with votus, volunteer of the united states, on the president's jacket there. we know that he is going to be busy and not just because it's important as he laid out last night for kamala harris to succeed him because of what's at stake for democracy but also because of what's at stake for his legacy. whether or not democrats are

successful up and down the ballot this fall will be seen in some ways as a referendum on whether president biden took too long to make that decision to pass the torch at this point. >> you make me think how many hundreds if not thousands of hours joe biden has campaigned for other people across his career. mike memoli, thank you for that. back with me peter baker and joining at the table nbc chief washington correspondent andrea mitchell. peter, joe biden played a lot of roles yesterday. >> yeah. >> he was an attack dog a little bit, he went after donald trump, he named him 27 times. >> yeah. >> but i think he was also fighting for his legacy. >> yeah. >> and he was fighting for kamala harris. there was a certain graciousness about him saying, for example, that tapping her to be his vp was the best decision he ever made. he's been around for 50 years in public life. >> yeah. >> what was your big take away from what we heard last night? >> he was speaking to two audiences, the audience in the hall and at home talking about his decision to step down, what

he sees as his accomplishments and what he wants them to do in terms of supporting kamala harris because of donald trump, as much as anything else, and he is speaking to history. what does joe biden mean now in history? now that his time is coming to an end, he was framing how he wants to be seen in the long national story that we have had. i think that that was sort of a poignant moment. you're right, there was a lot of tears in the audience last night, it was a three-hanky night for a lot of people, but it was bittersweet because of course while they're chanting "thank you joe" and are obviously appreciative of his public service and all he has accomplished in office but also thank you for stepping aside. an act of courage and sacrifice but also one i think was painful to him. >> i talked to delaware's governor john carney on the floor last night. the entire delaware delegation was trying to be upbeat, it's a small state, pretty much everything knows him and has known him for decades. i want to play what he said to me. >> what do you see as his role

in kamala harris's campaign? >> well, the record she has to run on. he's been one of the most successful presidents in recent memory in one term. >> what's his ace in the hole on the campaign trail? as somebody who as i said has been on the trail for himself and others probably thousands of days of his life? >> yeah, i think it's an important role to play when he gets out on the campaign trail is to be the validator. to tell voters who may have been comfortable with him over the years that, yeah, she is not only a worthy successor but somebody who will carry on and have the same values that he does. again, speaking to places like scranton, pennsylvania, where he likes to talk about where he came from, places in the midwest where he has long-standing connections and relationships and she might not being from california. i think he is a validator for her to voters who don't know her very well and want to get to know her. >> his last stop before election night when he won was to a union hall in scranton, pennsylvania,

all of us who were covering him stood out there a very long time. he just likes being in there and talking to people. he was in no rush, andrea. you just spoke to kentucky's governor, andy beshear, about the 2024 race. he had a little advice for kamala harris? >> yeah, a little advice and just picking up what you were just saying, his appeal to scranton wilkes-barre where he was so powerful and kentucky where trump won huge but andy beshear still won by six points. to go up against the democrats in michigan, those people who validate her who may not know about her or may be resistant to a woman, to a woman of color. look, andy beshear's advice was to talk to those issues. to talk to the issues that are the kitchen table issues of the economy because she still lags behind donald trump on the economy as the democrats have, she's only marginally better, two points better than joe biden on that key issue.

here is what his advice was. >> we've got to run and govern where people wake up in the morning. they're not thinking about the polls, they're not really even thinking about this election. they're thinking about their job, whether they make enough to support their family. they're thinking about their next doctor's appointment, the roads and bridges they're going to drive, the public school that their kids go to and their public safety. those are places especially with the extremism that donald trump has embraced where we can move the needle. >> and that's the secret to andy beshear's success, that's why they were considering him for vice president is they were considering mark kelly and others in red states and eventually settled on tim walz who came from a red district and showed that he could do that when he first ran for congress. it's going beyond her base and probably moving as you do in general elections, she has a very short general election from whatever her progressive base was to a more centrist position. >> speaking to a couple of

republicans since last night they acknowledged the energy, they acknowledged the polls, they acknowledged the fundraising, but they think as you talk about the issues and andy beshear talks about the issues, they think they're doing something smart, they're pulling a lot of ads on the air for donald trump that's just kamala harris talking about issues in ways that they think are damaging and they believe that with much of the country she has not been defined. they've now heard her name, but they don't know who she is or what she stands for. is that their best sort of strategy right now? is there any concern coming out of her campaign that she needs to be a little more specific on some of the issues? >> yes, i think to their way of thinking painting her as an extremist liberal is the best strategy possible. >> right. >> scare the people who are maybe uncertain about her to begin with, make her unacceptable to the people in scranton and wisconsin and michigan, places they want to win and in some sun belt states. had hasn't worked to far, the

polls showed she opened up that map more than expected but it is still a tight race and they can easily define her in a way that makes her hard to accept for middle the in middle. her challenge may not be to put across specific policies because you want to be careful about giving ammunition away, but to move away from the 2020 campaign when she did run for president in a primary which she didn't have to do this time and ran to the left and she is now moving herself back closer to the center as andrea said. >> and that does mean contradicting some of the things she ran on when she was first running in a primary against joe biden. >> she won't be the first. andrea, peter, so great to sit with both of you. thank you very much. up next, democrats are keeping a very close eye on florida as voters there are casting primary ballots today, but is that state really possibly in play? the florida democratic party chair will join us after this. and later an up close look at what's happening right now inside the harris/walz campaign with its principal deputy campaign manager.

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closely, looking for any sign it might be ripe for investment. now, most polls haven't shown it is, but one wild card could shake things up, a key abortion measure that will be on the state ballot in november. joining me now florida democratic party chair nikki fried. good to see. >> you good to see you, too. >> is there any chance florida is in play for the presidential race? any chance. >> lull. >> come on. >> i swear. >> i heard that from texas last night. >> we are a little bit more blue than texas. there is an argument to be made for all can of reasons. one is what has happened in our state since desantis became governor. he has taken our state into such an extreme direction that people are tired, they're tired of the book banning, tired of going after educational environment and all of the noise that desantis has created. with a kamala harris energy we have 25,000 new volunteers that are throughout the entire state from our red areas to our blue areas to our purple areas.

the energy is really palpable and we feel it everywhere. >> do you have the infrastructure to use those 25,000 volunteers? >> we do. since i became chair last year that's what we did. i burnt down the whole party and we started over. we have now 28 staff members, we have built an extremely diligent get out the vote mechanism in every part of our state. in fact, this past year we filled every congressional, every house and every senate seat. that is the first time that florida democrats have done that in over 30 years. there's something happening on the ground. there is a tremendous momentum shift. people are tired of the chaos and are ready to have balance back. >> i think you will agree that one of the most powerful moments came on that stage, there were three separate -- i think there were four people in three spotlights telling their own personal abortion stories and i want to listen to at least one of them. >> i was raped by my stepfather after years of sexual abuse. i can't imagine not having a

choice. but today that's the reality for many women and girls across the country because of donald trump's abortion bans. he calls it a beautiful thing. what is so beautiful about a child having to carry her parents' child? >> where i was sitting people gasped, audibly gasped at what she had to say. she was 12 years old when her stepfather impregnated her. do you think that in 2024 -- and you've got this coming up -- this could be as impactful as we saw it was in 2022, even in 2020? >> absolutely. now we're living under a six-week abortion ban in the state of florida. when ron desantis pushed the six-week ban 77% of floridians were opposed and now we're seeing the stories coming out of women being turned away at

emergency rooms, mothers taking their daughters, having similar stories that we just heard and they are being turned away. you are seeing a coalition in florida that is democrat, republican and independent. now our independents consist of almost one-third of the demographic in our state and you're seeing people frustrated and angry that this right was taken away from them. we are building this coalition, needs 60% of florida to get over the finish line and it's polling at 69%. it is truly impacting every part of our state because people fundamentally do not want politicians in their bedroom. they don't want them in the classroom, don't want them in the bedroom and don't want them in the doctors offices. >> is there anything that could happen tonight that would give you a clear of where this is going, i'm thinking of the biggest races, rick scott, the sitting senator, he has a couple of folks running against him in the primary. there is a suffolk university poll that showed 35% of florida voters have a favorable impression of him, 49% have an

unfavorable opinion. is he vulnerable? assuming he wins tonight i think that the koch political report lists this as likely republican. is it worth an investment on the democratic side? >> without a doubt. 35% favorability. we already knew that we didn't like him, but now we hear so does everybody else. if the investment is there, we have grade candidates, one is going to come out of the primary this evening -- >> are you sending a message. >> every day. every day. and if our candidate debbie powell the likely one to come out is a strong, dynamic female who is going to be able to go after rick scott who has been talking about a national abortion ban. how can voters be voting to put it back into the florida constitution and vote for rick scott who will come to the united states senate and try to revoke it. he is also bad on social security, medicare, medicaid and with the type of demographics in our state, rick scott is vulnerable. he has already taken his eyes off of florida as he wants the leadership race, he's crisscrossing the state,

spending money in other locations. don't sleep on florida. we have a lot of things going on that should tip the scales for victories. >> you are nothing if not a good ambassador for your state. >> thanks for having me. coming up, a moving tribute to reverend jesse jackson during the convention for the first black woman who ever be a major party presidential nominee. how he paved the way for so many. reverend al sharpton who walked jackson out on to the dnc stage will join us next. will join us next.

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before kamala harris there was the reverend jesse jackson paving the way for black people to rise in politics. last night democrats honored jackson whose activism and ground-breaking presidential campaigns in 1984 and '88 inspired generations of black political leaders. the "l.a. times" puts it this way, ardent followers say jesse jackson made a world where kamala harris could rise. reverend al sharpton was at his side on stage last night, he joins us now. he is president of national action network and host of msnbc's "politics nation." michael hardaway is back with us. reverend, i honestly don't remember whether it was '84 or '88 but i did go to a rally when jesse jackson was running for president. he gave a speech that was i guess his standard stump speech.

it was one of the greatest speeches i have ever heard in my life. the man was gifted. but what's his role in what we see today in the democratic party? >> well, i think in many ways he laid the foundation. i knew reverend jackson since i was 12 years old, my mother brought me to the movement in brooklyn, new york, and i became one of many mentes of him, he was always dynamic, always visionary. i think what he did laid the whole predicate that we are working on today. let's not forget not only did he make it believable that a black could run and win millions of votes. >> yeah. >> he changed the rules. in '88 they changed the rules for primaries at the behest of jesse jackson. put people on the rules committee and we went from a winner take all state primary model to a proportional

representation, meaning that if you ran in a state and got all but one vote, the guy that got one vote before you gets all the delegates. jackson changed it to where if you got 49 the other guy got 50, you got your 49 delegates. if that rules hadn't been changed president obama would never have won the nomination because hillary clinton won more states with more delegates, and we would have had an open convention rather than kamala harris having to become the presumptive nominee once joe biden endorsed her because there were some calling for an open convention. people on the rules committee, some of who reverend jackson helped put there said, no, it can't be an open convention, look at the rules to joe manchin and others couldn't even think about runny. so jesse jackson directly impact what had we're doing here today. >> in addition he obviously, michael as rev often does makes a great deep point, which is it's not just about inspiring

people to run, people of color to run which he clearly has done even to this day, but the infrastructure of the party. jaime harrison, right, heads the democratic party, a black man. how do you think he opened doors in every aspect of politics? >> we have to be clear about something, without reverend jesse jackson and reverend al sharpton there is no president obama, there is no house democratic leader hakeem jeffries, there is no potential president kamala harris. because of both the inspiration and the rules they've changed. at the end of the day not only have they been impactful for black americans, but really all americans, any marginalized group from hispanic-americans to gay americans, every single person in this country who has dealt with discrimination and has been marginalized owes some debt of gratitude to these two gentlemen. >> how important is it to understand that history? i mean, the dnc did take time yesterday to spotlight a lot of folks, shirley chisolm, for example, was mentioned a number of times who came along with

reverend jackson, the first black woman who run for president. is it important for the party to remember and to highlight that history? >> it's very important because you must remember how you got to where you got, otherwise you're lost. the difference between knowing where you're going is to know what you started in order to reach where you're going. if i went to the airport, if i don't have a destination then how do i have an arrival? i think what we must keep in mind is the destination that the shirley chris somes and the jesse jacksons saw to realize we are on the right course, otherwise we think all of this is just a fan club about you, rather than moving society forward. >> can we talk about al ives as well. i think if you ask joe biden, he would tell you he would not be president if not for a black south carolina congressman, right? he made history, though, joe biden by naming the first black woman to the united states supreme court, the first black

woman to be vice president and paved the way now for what could be the first black woman to be president of the united states. how do you think his legacy and know that he doesn't want his legacy fully written yet, he has more he wants to do, but how will he be remembered in this struggle? >> he should be remembered for that series of firsts that you just laid out. he also is responsible for historically low black unemployment during his presidency. also a responsible for a 60% increase in black wealth during his presidency. as we think about the legacy of joe biden, it's both appointing the first black female supreme court justice and paving the way for the first black female president, but it's also helping black americans, helping all americans at a foundational level as they live their day to day lives. >> when i talk to people out in the democratic party, but also just, you know, on the street when people talk to you and want to have a political conversation, i still do get the

question do you think america is ready for a black woman president. is that conversation dead now or is it a real conversation that needs to be had? >> i think the question has always been not is america ready, is that are we ready? and if we are ready we make america ready. i don't know if america was ready for blacks to not sit in the back of the bus, but rosa parks and dr. king and others were ready. and i think if we are ready, we can move it forward and i think that i think many of us, millions of americans, are ready to stop asking that question and they may outnumber the few that doubt that. and i must say in support of what michael said, though, about joe biden's legacy, it would be interesting if kamala harris wins, joe biden will have been the vice president to the first black president and the one that brought in the first black female president. that's a great position for him to be in the center of and he earned both of them. >> if i can go full circle and

ask you a little bit about the reverend jackson, he has als, that is why he is in a wheelchair, he is not really able to speak anymore as i understand it. >> he speaks but not that clearly. parkinson's is what he -- >> i'm sorry, parkinson's. when he came out last night i also drew this kind of parallel with joe biden, the absolute admiration that you heard in the crowd for jesse jackson in the way that you heard it for joe biden who are in the far more years behind them than they have in front of them. can you tell us a little bit about how he's doing and his own understanding of the role that he has played in what we're going to see on this stage thursday night? >> well, he's doing as well as he -- mentally and in his mind -- as i've known him since i was 12. he's never changed. always thinking, always planning. >> you never wanted to get as a journalist in a debate with him. >> oh, no. and even though his speech may

not be what it was he talks often to those of us that have worked with him down through the years, he still guides us, reprimands us as necessary. and i think he was proud last night, not only of the ovation, two of his sons walking out, me and one of his mentes and he's looking at the fruits of his labor including kamala harris, including the people in the rules committee, the young lady that headed this convention was on his staff. so he's watching the seeds he planted grow into being something and i think he's proud, but he is's not finished. i just know that because he will be calling you twice a week with new assignments on assessment of where we are, and he earned that because he paid the price to open doors for us. >> reverend al sharpton, michael hardaway, gentlemen, great to have you on the program. thank you so much. up next, we're going to speak with principal deputy campaign manager for harris/walz quentin fulks. and in our next hour, breaking down the gender divide. steve kornacki will be here with

the latest on the state of the race polling. you're watching "chris jansing reports" live from chicago and only on msnbc. only on msnbc.

security is ramped up outside this convention center as protestors representing an array of causes gather for a second day of demonstrations. new fencing installed after they breached a barrier near the

convention hall. adrian is at an installation dedicated to the hostages in gaza and i understand that you spoke to the family of one of those hostages. what did they tell you? >> reporter: i spoke with him moments ago. the parents of this young man. and they don't mention months. they count the days. it's been 319 days since they last heard from their son. he, too, is one of the american hostages in hamas and what they saw here is something they described as surreal. listen to part of our conversation. >> as a father seeing my son name and picture all over the place, it just, i can't believe i'm there. you know? 319 days ago, he was taken away. we don't even know if he's alive or dead. we are living with the hope. people think that it was a some kind of an attack and it's over.

it's not over for us. we're living this nightmare every day. >> reporter: so that's the voice of one family. during as the dnc is underway, so many organizations are protesting. just a few blocks away from here near the united center and the goal of this group here is to have their voices heard. the organizer told me this is the best way to break through all of the noise. she says this demonstration sends a loud message. if you look around, you'll notice there are milk cartons. i spoke with the sister of judy weinstein. she said this is the first thing she saw when she walked through. it's a milk carton with her sister and brother-in-law's image. they were murdered on october 7th. there's an art exhibit described as wings of hope. that's because some of these families still have hope their loved ones will return home. meanwhile, the scene has been peaceful. a contrast to what we saw toward

the evening yesterday. that's when some protesters breached a security fence near the united center, gaining access to that inner perimeter. we just heard from chicago's top cop, lieutenant snelling, or excuse me, mr. snelling, saying that there were arrests. he has not given us the exact number yet. not only did all of that protest activity cause some travel disruption, there was a shuttle bus that was impacted as well because of all that protest activity. it hit one of those security fences then another bus had a malfunction, some technical difficulties so it caused a bit of delay. organizers hope that doesn't happen again tonight. >> i'm wondering are the people who are coming there are people who agree with them? are there conversations being had of people who want to know more? >> reporter: there are. i just spoke with a young lady

by the name of alanna. she said she heard about this so she and her friends showed up. she said this made what happened on october 7th very real. there was another woman who was walking down the street and walked in wanting to know what all these milk cartons were about. she said she heard on the news this morning the bodies of six hostages were recovered so she wanted to know who these people are. who are these faces. some people are asking questions. there are some other delegates, they stopped by to show their support and they also told me they may speak on one of the nights over at the united center as the convention gets underway, chris. >> adrian, thank you. cheers and emotional tears. hillary clinton's dnc speech served as a 2016 reminder for many democrats. how her legacy and loss are shaping the campaign for kamala harris. and if you missed the speeches last night, head to msnbc's youtube channel.

you can watch them in full or watch a highlight reel we've put together for you. stay close. more chris jansing reporting live from chicago just after this. sing reporting live from chicago just after is my moderate to severe crohn's symptoms kept me out of the picture. now i have skyrizi. ♪ i've got places to go and i'm feeling free ♪ ♪ control of my crohn's means everything to me ♪ ♪ control is everything to me ♪ and now i'm back in the picture. feel significant symptom relief at 4 weeks with skyrizi, including less abdominal pain and fewer bowel movements. skyrizi helped visibly improve damage of the intestinal lining. and with skyrizi, many were in remission at 12 weeks, at 1 year, and even at 2 years. serious allergic reactions and an increased risk of infections or a lower ability to fight them may occur. tell your doctor if you have an infection or symptoms, had a vaccine or plan to. liver problems may occur in crohn's disease. ask your gastroenterologist how to take control of your crohn's with skyrizi.

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