Harris to speak on final night of Democratic National Convention

US Vice President Kamala Harris will be the keynote speaker on Thursday, the fourth and final day of the Democratic National Convention in Chicago, Illinois.
Speaking before her will be a host of popular Democratic figures, including Senator Mark Kelly of Arizona, his wife, former representative Gabby Giffords and Senator Elizabeth Warren. Musical performances from P!nk and The Chicks are also expected.
Ms Harris’s sudden elevation to presidential candidate came after President Joe Biden’s decision to step aside and endorse her, and she and her running mate Tim Walz have been received enthusiastically by the Democratic Party.
Nowhere has that enthusiasm been more apparent than at the DNC, where delegates engaged in a ceremonial vote on Tuesday to name her as their candidate.
Critics and supporters will be watching Ms Harris’s speech with great interest, hoping she will better define her policies and plans for her administration.
Quoting anonymous sources, NBC News reported that her speech will be focused on her personal story, rooting her vision in “a deep and abiding patriotism” and contrasting her view of the future with that of Republican rival Donald Trump.
Throughout the convention, Democrats have aimed to draw a clear line between Ms Harris and Mr Trump on a host of issues, including voting rights, corporate tax and abortion.
Democrats appear to have heeded national opinion over the Mexican border – which Republicans say will be overrun if Ms Harris is elected – and some speeches during Wednesday’s DNC event appeared to indicate the party would get tough on illegal immigration.
Something many will be looking out for during Ms Harris’s speech is how much, if any, attention she gives to the Israel-Gaza war, amid outrage from some Democrats that she has done little to address their concerns.
Among those are members of the “uncommitted” voter movement, who say the DNC has refused a request to allow a Palestinian American to address the convention after family members of a hostage held in Gaza were allowed to speak.
Ms Harris has been closely involved in the latest US diplomatic push for a ceasefire between Hamas and Israel, sitting in on a Wednesday conversation between Mr Biden and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.