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the israeli army said it has found the bodies of six hostages being held by hamas in southern gaza. ♪ >> ♪ were so gallantly -- caitriona: i am caitriona perry. state -- it is day two of the democratic national convention, well underway in chicago where the focus is shifting fully to vice president kamala harris weight has pitch after an emotional first night paying tribute to president joe biden. tonight, there will be a ceremonial roll among delegates to select ms. harris as the party's nominee. that will be ceremonial as it was already made official in a virtual rollcall earlier this month. vice president harris herself will be in milwaukee tonight for a campaign rally. the delegates at the convention will hear from a number of

prominent party leaders. the keynote address will be delivered by former president barack obama, speaking here in his hometown of chicago. also featured tonight will be president joe biden's wife, as well as kamala harris's spouse, doug emhoff. bernie sanders and illinois governor jb pritzker will also speak as well, and there will be lots of musical guests too. president obama's headlining speech tonight will highlight the decades long relationship he has with the vice president and his place in history as the first black president who is supporting harris, who could be the first black south asian female president in the united states. they first met in 2004 at a california fundraiser. a san francisco district attorney at the time, ms. harris was an early supporter of barack obama's 2008 presidential campaign. she showed up for his launch in

springfield, illinois of that campaign. president obama has often praised her for her work in california, and he endorsed her 2016 u.s. senate campaign. there is great excitement building in the convention center ahead of tonight's programming. rehearsals are well underway. we can now go down to the floor of the convention center, this arena behind me, to our correspondent. what is it like where you are now? reporter: it is certainly filling up on the convention floor. delegates are starting to take their seats in their different sections which are divided by states. kamala harris has been kind -- has been confirmed as the democratic nominee. this is more about ceremony, about saying again, that they support and back kamala harris as their presidential nominee. she will be here this evening -- she will not be here this evening. she is addressing the rally in

milwaukee, where donald trump held his republican convention. it is expected there will be huge crowds out there. a lot of energy. part of the reasons she has chosen to be there tonight is the selection will not be won in places like this, talking to diehard loyal supporters. it is going to be won or lost in this key battleground states like wisconsin. caitriona: what are we expecting to hear from the obama's when they deliver their speeches tonight? ione: as you say, the main highlight tonight is the former president, barack obama. i think it is expected he will pay some kind of tribute to joe biden. he was not part of the tributes yesterday. joe biden. , having stood as his vice president. but i think he will be throwing forward a message of hope for the kamala harris campaign. they have had a friendship over

many years. i think he will want to add personal touches to his speech. we will hear from the former first lady, michelle obama. and also from her husband as well, doug. and from him, we can expect to hear more personal anecdotes about who she is as a person, what is she like at home, the kind of testimonies we heard yesterday from joe biden's family as well. all of these speeches have been anticipated here on the floor already. the obamas, two with the most popular figures in the democratic party. i think there is a lot of excitement building in this room. caitriona: ione wells on the floor of the convention center, thank you for that. i'm joined now by ambassador catherine tied, the u.s. trade representative in the biden administration. she's here in her personal capacity. thank you for being with us. you work with joe biden on his cabinet.

you have that long-term relationship with him. we saw his farewell yesterday, his legacy. what role do you see him playing in the campaign from here out? >> thank you for noting i am here in my personal capacity. i am here is a democratic party booster and surrogate for the harris-walls campaign. your question is a good one. he was the star of the show yesterday. you characterized it as a farewell speech. in a way, i think in this campaign environment, but as he reminded us, he is very much still the president of the united states. he has got five months. he still has a very robust agenda from domestic, to international, from economic to political, but he is pursuing at full force. i think that you will see him continuing to carry out all of the policy objectives that have characterize the accomplishments in the last three and a half years. caitriona: kamala harris were

you into office in her capacity as vice president. you have a relationship with her as well. what do you think the key things you can offer to the american public as president to get that promotion? amb. tai: we all know that night four here of the convention is going to be about her. if you are watching last night which i know you were here, she made a surprise cameo. and the crowd just erupted in wild applause and enthusiasm cared what we can expect from kamala harris is her to continue to bring her grit, her commitment, her smarts, and also her incredible compassion as an ordinary american who has had this extraordinary journey. her commitment to bringing all of america along with her. it is tremendously exciting to

be at this convention. i don't know if you have felt it, but the energy levels are through the roof. it's like a music festival, except that we do have some musicians here. it is all political stars that we have, showcased from all over america, all across the democratic spectrum, coming here to show this unified vision for moving forward and not going backwards. caitriona: and on that point, there has been criticism of, harris for not laying out policies, that it has been all about the fields, the vibes, the energy. i know you are speaking in a personal capacity. when it comes to her trade policy, would you it is abate there would be great differences between that and the biden policy? amb. tai: let's make it very clear, i'm going to steer clear from trade conversations. so much of that is about my official capacity. let me take a step upwards and talk about her economic vision.

she has given her policy speech about her economic vision. it is all about pathways to the middle class, creating a strong middle class. what president biden calls middle out economics. what she talks about as an agenda of economic opportunity. i see that as a clear trajectory from joe biden and kamala harris, to kamala harris and tim walz. caitriona: with that trade policy differ from what a second donald trump term of trade policies might look like? amb. tai: let me take a step back and make clear, i am not talking specifically about trade policy. but that focus on building out the middle class, ensuring there is a robust middle class and a commitment to growing opportunity here in the united states, that is a complete through-line from president biden and vice president harris, to everything we have heard her talk about and her vision for this very bright american future. caitriona: donald trump would say he is offering the same

thing, that he wants to build up the middle class, that he was to deliver more for working families. amb. tai: i have actually not heard him say that. but i think if you look at his policies and you look at who they benefit, they benefit the top 1%, the 0.5%. it is about billionaires and donald trump himself. what you need to really do in this political environment is to connect the dots. connect dots between what people are saying, and what they have done. he. has a record he is on record, 42 of his administration, and all of project 2025 is a blueprint for his vision for what he is committing to do. none of that is about growing the middle class. none of it is about ordinary americans. caitriona: ambassador katherine tai, thank you for joining us on bbc news in your personal capacity. tonight's speaker at the convention will include democratic royalty, and some very unexpected voices on the stage as well.

republicans paired stephanie grisham, former white house press secretary trump administration will speak, as will john giles, the mayor of a town in arizona. they will address the gathered democrats tonight. the man that vice president harris is against, the republican presidential nominee, former president donald trump, has been holding his own speaking engagement today in the battleground state of michigan. the former u.s. president is just outside detroit, making his sixth visit to that state of michigan this year. he was speaking at a local sheriff's office. donald trump touched on the issue of crime in america and issued a response to some of what has been said at this week's convention. mr. trump: holding their convention in congo -- in chicago. as you know, on the fourth of july weekend, 117 people were shot. of the 117, 17 were killed.

this is fourth of july weekend. 40 were shot last weekend. i don't know how many were killed. a lot. they lied last night about things that nobody has ever seen. they lied about soldiers. they lied about charlottesville. they lied about inflation. the inflation has been absolutely horrible. and everyone knows it. we had virtually no inflation. they had 9% but that wasn't including some of the things that went up more than anything else. they gave themselves a pass. but mothers will no longer be losing their children because of weak liberal policies and politicians that have given up on securing a crime free america. we want a crime free america. we are going to stop violent

crime in the united states. caitriona: joining me to discuss all of that has gone on and all that lies ahead is former democratic congresswoman for florida, stephanie murphy and former republican congressman, rodney davis. thank you for being back with us. i just want to say a brief word about joe biden's speech last night. it is interesting he was told he was too young to be a senator and now he is too old for president. he has given so much of his life to public service. was there a touch of bitterness there? stephanie: i know he also address the actual talk about him being bitter and resentful and said he was not. but it has to feel a little better for him to be saying goodbye -- bitter for him to be saying goodbye of his political career, because he lost the support of his donor base, his party and the democratic party. it has to be difficult. what struck me was, when he

said, i gave the best of me to you, he is quoting a nora jones song. it is an incredibly beautiful patriotic song. i thought that was probably one of the more resonant moments in his speech. caitriona: if we fast forward to tonight, we have democratic party royalty in terms of the obamas here. rodney, what do they offer to voters that is going to be a threat to the republican party? rodney: barack obama and michelle obama, they can turn voters out. that really was what one of the problems was for president biden in his polling numbers before he was pushed out of the race. the obamas are going to bring excitement to his hometown of chicago. as a republican, i have watched that excitement since 2004 when he made his debut on the national stage, at the national convention, by nominating then the candidate john kerry. caitriona: what can they say

that will sway those people who are not already obama fans that will vote for the democratic ticket anyway? stephanie: i think it is an opportunity for them to double down on what the messages, which is this is an election about the future, not the past. when it was biden running, the trump campaign had framed the campaign as weak versus strong. and in that competition, it looks like donald trump have the advantage. this is an opportunity for the harris campaign, using their surrogates to define this race about change. as you recall, obama was the change candidate. this is an opportunity for him to frame this election in those terms. it is about the future while the other guys are relitigating the past. caitriona: obama's keyword was hope. kamala harris's keyword seems to be hope. we are going to hear from republicans who have decided they can't back donald trump. not only can they not back him, they are prepared to come here

to the democratic convention. are there more republicans like that? rodney: they are not really republicans, they are ex -republicans. caitriona: that's not what they would say, though. rodney: when you're speaking of the democratic national convention, a democrat into thousand four spoke at the republican convention. after the convention, everyone called him a republican. there is personal animosity with former president trump, with some of the speakers. if anybody should have personal animosity toward the prep -- for the former president, it's me. in the end, there is a binary choice as a republican to say, do we want policies like lower taxes and more personal responsibility and more freedom and liberty? that is what being a republican is all about. it is about the free enterprise system. caitriona: this is a very close race. are there many republicans who fit into that category that they would be prepared to flip? rodney: there were a lot of

republicans that flipped to democrats in 2018, during the midyear presidential -- midyear nonpresidential race. caitriona: physically in this race this year? rodney: many of them stayed voting democratic in 2020. two kamala harris's advantage, she is looking like she is able to keep those former republicans in suburban areas, in areas like the areas around the city of chicago in the democratic fold. i think many of them were about to be very disenfranchised if they had to choose between trump and biden again. caitriona: we were speaking to the trade representative, katherine tai earlier. tonight's theme is about looking toward the future. are the dramatic differences in terms of international trade policy the two administrations might pursue? stephanie: i think there was not a ton of differences in trade policy between ambassador lighthizer and ambassador tai.

they both very much believed in tariffs. trump has said, and he defines a tariff as a tax paid by others. but that actually is not economically true. a tariff is a tax paid by americans. it raises the cost of inputs and goods in the united states. it is actually a tax on metal america, on all of the things they seek to buy. it has inflationary pressures. paris has an opportunity to pivot into a new trade policy that would benefit economically in the u.s. caitriona: you see her stepping away from the terrace joe biden has pursued? stephanie: she has not said much about it. at least it will not be a 20% tariff increase as is promised by the trump administration. caitriona: what do you think, rodney? rodney: i agree with stephanie.

i think tariffs are terrible. they are a tax on american goods and a tax on the american consumer. both candidates are more apt to favor tariffs. when you look at opportunities for growth and continue to grow our economy, not only does it need to focus on what we are doing with our foreign trade in the global marketplace, but also domestically, what does our tax system look like? are we competitive in the united states? are we going to remain competitive in the united states with a corporate rate that is comparable to the rest of the world? in the end, kamala harris is proposing to raise that corporate rate 7% and make america less competitive in the global marketplace. that is just as bad as a tariff. caitriona: on that point, raising the corporate tax rate does impact america's competitiveness. stephanie: i think one of the things that is true is broadly, the american people based on polling believe as individuals, as the middle class, they pay

their fair share but they don't believe corporate america pays their fair share. it is conversation worth having and it will be one that will have to happen between whoever is the new administration, and whatever the makeup of the new congress is. those things tend to be hashed out in the legislative process. caitriona: we will leave the discussion there. we will hear plenty more from both of you later on. former democratic congresswoman, stephanie murphy, and former republican congressman, rodney davis. thank you both. here in chicago, more protests are expected tonight over u.s. policy relating to the war in gaza in support for israel. local police say 13 arrests were made at protests on monday at the dnc. those demonstrations were peaceful. for more on what is happening inside the convention and out in chicago, you can find all of the latest reporting from our bbc teams on our website, bbc.com/ news. you can also find the story

about vice president harris' two decade relationship with the former president, barack obama. and a bbc verified look at the claims harris has been making during her campaign so far. you can find. all of that their negotiators in doha continue to pursue talks on how to secure a deal between israel and hamas, including the release of hostages. it comes as israel's military found the bodies of six hostages in a tunnel in on eunice. all of the victims had been kidnapped and join the hamas attacks on southern israel on the sum above october. israeli authorities said 109 hostages remain in captivity. they believe a third of them are now dead. with disease and destruction on the rise, 88 -- eight agencies are demanding humanitarian troops. israel claims it -- civil defense agency says 12

people were killed. our middle east correspondent reports now. reporter: deep inside the totals of han eunice, and rate -- israeli forces found the bodies of israeli hostages and brought them home. six bodies were covered. their names confirmed by the units commanding officer. among them, a british israeli who hamas said was killed by israeli airstrikes in may. a man who loved boardgames and science-fiction. kidnapped from -- kidnapped on the seventh of october with his mother. freed in a hostage deal last november. his neighbor watched him grow up. >> a quiet man, a very kind man. he never married.

he lived in a semi-attached next to his mom, is 79-year-old mom. and he has a brother. had a brother. he was murdered on october 7. reporter: the remains of five other captives were also brought home last night. kidnapped for his family, the first confirmation that he was dead. >> we have counted 18 cases of the government of israel torpedoing the initiative to get the hostages back. we are caught between a rock and a hard place. the hamas and israeli government both contributing their part to the death of my uncle. reporter: the u.s. secretary of state is in the middle east to

kickstart a new cease-fire plan. israel has agreed to back it. today, he was asking egypt for its support. in khan yunis today, six bodies laid out for burial. killed in a strike on an internet connection point, one of them, a student preparing for his engineering exams. another day when lights ended, and -- when lives ended and the war carried on. caitriona: u.s. secretary of state antony blinken has spoken with the qatari prime minister and foreign minister on the phone, as well as with senior officials in doha on the final leg of his trip to the middle east, as he works to bring an end to the war in gaza. he is returning to the u.s. earlier today, he made a stop in egypt to meet president -- the president who warned of the conflict expanding in the region.

secretary blinken says prime minister benjamin netanyahu agreed to what they call as a bridging proposal from the u.s. during mr. blinken's visit. he said it is up to hamas to agree to the same terms. while hamas has not rejected the proposal, the proposal negates the original plan. that is for the moment. we will have plenty more from the convention center here at later. do stay with us here on bbc news paradigm caitriona perry. thank you for watching "bbc world news america." do take care. bye-bye. ♪ announcer: funding for presentation of this program is provided by... financial services firm, raymond james. announcer: funding was also provided by, the freeman foundation. and by judy and peter blum kovler foundation, pursuing solutions for america's neglected needs. ♪ ♪

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