Democratic National Convention Day One, DNC Protests, Gaza Ceasefire Negotiations

0:02President Biden spoke in the first night of the Democratic convention. I love the job, but I love my country more. How's he handling the handoff? Vice President Harris made a surprise appearance to see him. I'm E. Ortiz with Steve Inskeep, and this is Up First from NPR News.

0:21Protesters broke through a fence but did not disrupt the convention's first day. They were voicing opposition to the war in Gaza. In 1968, Chicago police beat anti-war protesters as they chanted, the whole world is watching. So how are police handling this convention? Also, Secretary of State Antony Blinken says Israel's prime minister agreed to a ceasefire. Not for the first time. The U.S. is saying this, while Benjamin Netanyahu himself does not. Where do the talks go now? Stay with us. We've got the news you need to start your day.

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2:22I've made a lot of mistakes in my career, but I gave my best to you. For 50 years, like many of you, I've given my heart and soul to our nation. And I've been blessed a million times in return with the support of the American people. Unlike the Republican convention, which many senior party figures avoided, the Democratic event includes multiple presidents and presidential nominees. They also welcome past leaders like Jesse Jackson. NPR's Stephen Fowler has been watching it all. Stephen, good morning. Good morning. One of our sleepless correspondents in Chicago. What were Democrats trying to say with this first night?

3:04It was a message and a way to pay tribute to what Biden did as president and also pave the way for Harris' time in the spotlight. There were prominent union leaders and lawmakers from across the country praising Democrats and occasionally attacking Donald Trump. We heard women share their abortion stories and allies of the president and vice president, really setting up this final stretch of the campaign. It's sending a message that it's a new Democratic Party now and with a new message, too. There's the symbolic passing of the torch. I mean, it's no longer the party of Hillary Clinton and Joe Biden.

3:36It's Kamala Harris and Tim Walz and the deep bench of a younger generation with a very specific vision for the future. Like New York Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, who hasn't always seen eye to eye with the establishment in the party. Thank you, Chicago, for your energy. Thank you, Kamala Harris and Tim Walz, for your vision. And thank you, Joe Biden, for your leadership. It is interesting to hear that prominent progressive figure praise Biden, who had been seen as a more moderate figure once upon a time. Yeah, I mean, it really was this culmination of Biden's half a century of public service and time in office.

4:21I mean, he was greeted by nearly five minutes of a standing ovation from all corners of the party. He teared up. Kamala Harris teared up. It's an emotional moment. I mean, this time last month, Biden was supposed to be the one speaking on the final night accepting the nomination. But now he's imploring Democrats to finish the job, beat Donald Trump again, and save democracy. It's been the honor of my lifetime to serve as your president. I love the job, but I love my country more.

4:54I love my country more. Steve, his decision to step aside and endorse Harris to run against Trump will likely be a key moment in history. This speech was largely a reflection on his legislative accomplishments since taking office. I mean, what Biden wanted to be an exclamation point in his career became a question mark. And now, after this speech, is a final period on his legacy. When you say a key moment in history, I think you're right. Whether Harris wins or loses, people will look back on that decision. There is, of course, the other ticket out there. How are Donald Trump and J.D. Vance counterprogramming?

5:29Well, because of the last-minute switch, both parties are trying to define Kamala Harris to voters. So Trump and Vance are in battleground states trying to attack Democrats on the policies they're weak on, like national security, immigration, and other topics, because people are voting very, very soon. NPR's Stephen Fowler is in Chicago. Stephen, thanks so much. Get a nap. Thank you. Now, the location of the Democratic Convention invites comparisons to history. The 1968 convention in Chicago included anti-war protests, which police brutally suppressed. Many protesters and police were injured on live TV.

6:06This week, protesters have returned, opposing U.S. backing for Israel in its war against Hamas in Gaza. We don't want to erase this war! We don't want to erase this war! Okay, so how are police doing this time? NPR's Martin Costi covers police, and he has that angle for us this morning. Martin, hi. Good morning, Steve. So how did police do, and how was the confrontation with protesters? Well, the police superintendent here, Larry Snelling, started the day yesterday sounding pretty optimistic. He's talked about having a respectful working relationship with the leaders of the protest and looking forward to supporting the marchers' right to free speech without a problem.

6:45and for much of the day that was in fact the case. For much of the day. Yeah, well, the march started out with a few thousand people moving in an orderly fashion with hundreds of bicycle cops flanking them as they went. It all seemed very choreographed, but then they got to this small park just north of the United Center where the DNC is being held, and their things went sideways. I brought a little tape to capture that scene here. There you can hear it. That's the tall steel fencing that forms the outer security perimeter for the DNC. You don't get past that without credentials and security check.

7:18But a group of mass protesters just went for it. They pulled down several sections and then started calling other protesters to follow them through. And then they started going for the interior fence, shaking that. And that's when the police caught up with them. It was kind of a surreal moment. The cops closing in on them from opposite ends. Everybody sandwiched between these two fences. And even the Chicago Police Superintendent Snelling was right in there with them. Okay, so I'll just emphasize we're hearing lots of different perspectives on the Democratic Convention, different perspectives over time on the protests.

7:48What you're focused on this morning is the police and how it looks to them. How did they manage this challenge of allowing free speech while also keeping order as they see it? Well, compared to Chicago police in 1968 or even 2020, they were pretty restrained. They could have arrested a few dozen people in there for breaching that security zone. but they ended up arresting only a handful and the police stayed calm while this was happening. Everybody was watching them, of course. The superintendent was right there. But even as protesters were lobbying sticks over the fence and other objects over kind of onto their heads, they were calm.

8:21But then they became very strict after, though. They cleared that park of tents and protesters. So you get the sense here that they also are worried about losing control of the situation if they give too much. What did the protesters at large say about the relatively small number who went through the fence. Well, some of them stayed in the park to support the ones who'd gone through. Many more, though, continued on with the original march. And then I talked to Alice Farley. She was sitting on a bench near the fence. She looked a little deflated. She's from New York. She cares deeply about the Palestinian cause.

8:51But I asked her if she thought this incident would change any minds in the convention. They won't see that. They're back in there. The only thing is you'll get one little three-second flash on the news about it, like a bunch of rowdy people, not the people who've been talking about this for 10 months, if not 47 years. Is it true that the protesters were largely invisible to the convention goers? Well, this is a big site. Hard to see things from inside there. After the arrests, I went around to the other side, saw a bunch of delegates lined up for security. None of them had heard or seen any of this.

9:25And Pierce Martin Costi, thanks so much. You're welcome. Secretary of State Antony Blinken says Israel has agreed to a ceasefire proposal for the war in Gaza. That announcement came after the U.S. Secretary of State met with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu for three hours yesterday in Jerusalem. After announcing Israel's backing of the deal, Blinken called on Hamas to do the same. NPR's Kat Lonsdorf is in Tel Aviv to give us the latest. Hi there, Kat. Hey, Steve. I feel like I've heard this before. The United States is saying that Israel is on board. What is Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu saying?

10:00Yeah, well, as usual, it's a little complicated. But basically, Netanyahu has not said directly that he's endorsing this new proposal put forward by mediators at the end of last week in Doha. You know, it's meant to bridge the final gaps between Israel and Hamas. We've seen this before, Steve. Like you said, just because America says that they have an agreement from Israel, it doesn't mean that's what we're hearing from Israel. Netanyahu's office did put out a statement last night after his talk with Blinken, but it did not mention agreeing to this bridging proposal. Instead, it focused on efforts to get as many hostages out of Gaza as possible.

10:31Hamas, on the other hand, has put out a statement responding pretty negatively to this bridging proposal, saying that they're for a ceasefire and want to end the war. But this new proposal put forward last week caters to Netanyahu's demands too much on several key sticking points, and they blame him for fully obstructing the deal. Meanwhile, Netanyahu and his office blame Hamas for obstructing the deal. You just called it a bridging proposal. Do you know what's in it? No. Blinken and the others have not said exactly how this proposal would overcome the outstanding issues, but we do know what those issues are.

11:05First, Hamas wants a permanent end of the war, and Netanyahu won't make that promise. Second, Netanyahu wants to keep Israeli forces along the border between Egypt and Gaza. That's something that neither Egyptians nor Palestinians want. And third, Israel wants some kind of screening process to make sure Palestinian civilians returning back to the north in Gaza are unarmed. These have been really key sticking points, and neither side has seemed that willing to budge on them in the past. Okay, so that's what Secretary Blinken says he got out of a visit to Israel. What does he do now as he heads to other countries, other powers involved, Egypt and Qatar?

11:37Yeah, so these are the two other countries that mediated this agreement along with the U.S. Egypt is expected to host the renewed ceasefire talks later this week. Qatar is where some Hamas officials are based, so it's very likely that Blinken will be there pushing for Hamas to sign off on the deal. You know, Steve, I should say all of this diplomacy has added urgency because of threats from Iran and its proxies to retaliate for an assassination on Iranian soil that Israel was widely presumed to be behind. The feeling is that, you know, as long as a ceasefire in Gaza is a possibility, Iran will hold its fire.

12:07I was thinking about that, just the drama, if that's the right word, of Iran being ready to strike, of Hezbollah being ready to strike. Maybe, maybe not. And I guess we should note that the war in Gaza continues. Israel continues its offensive there. What's going on? So according to health officials in Gaza, more than 130 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli airstrikes there just in the past few days. If there had been a ceasefire agreement last week, those casualties could have been avoided. And more than 100 Israeli hostages are languishing and possibly even dying in captivity there as well.

12:40The Israeli military just announced this morning that six bodies of hostages were recovered from Gaza overnight. all of them are thought to have died in recent months. Also, disease is spreading in Gaza. Just last week, the first confirmed case of polio was reported. And international health officials are warning of an outbreak if they can't get in and vaccinate. So on the ground in Gaza, people really don't have days or weeks to wait while these details get hammered out. NPR's Kat Lonsdorf is reporting from Tel Aviv. Thanks as always. Thanks so much.

13:12And that's it for us for this Tuesday, August 20th. I'm Steve Inskeep. And I'm A. Martinez. NPR's live special coverage at the Democratic National Convention in Chicago continues tonight to catch the NPR Politics Podcast Team as they'll be live with coverage and analysis starting at 9 p.m. Eastern, 6 p.m. in the West. You can listen on your local NPR radio station. You can also catch us in the NPR app online at npr.org or you can stream the coverage through your smart speaker. I was watching the coverage on the NPR app last evening. Extremely convenient. Today's episode of Up First was edited by Megan Pratz, Kevin Drew, Greg Dixon, Jenea Williams, and Alice Wolfley.

13:49It was produced by Ziad Butch, Nia Dumas, and Nina Kravinsky. We get engineering support from Robert Rodriguez, and our technical director is Zach Coleman. Join us tomorrow.