The Democratic National Convention provided a platform for Americans to share their personal stories and lived experiences – explaining how they and millions more like them across the country would be impacted by Vice President Kamala Harris’ and Governor Tim Walz’s forward-facing agenda versus Donald Trump and JD Vance’s Project 2025 plans to take us backwards – from reproductive rights like access to fertility treatments and abortion care; to life-saving policies like commonsense gun safety reforms; to policies that lower costs for working families and protect workers while taking on corporate greed and investing in small businesses. 

Here’s what voters are reading and watching about the storytellers at the DNC… 

CBS News: DNC centers abortion rights as women tell personal stories

Key Point: “On the first night of the DNC, three women shared their personal stories, including two women who were denied medical care while undergoing miscarriages and a third who became pregnant at the age of 12.

“Kaitlyn Joshua was expecting her second child and getting ready for her 4-year-old daughter’s birthday party when she sensed something was wrong. But two emergency rooms in Louisiana sent her away. 

“‘Because of Louisiana’s abortion ban, no one would confirm that I was miscarrying,’ Joshua said. ‘I was in pain, bleeding so much my husband feared for my life. No woman should experience what I endured. But too many have. They write to me saying, ‘What happened to you happened to me.’’”

TIME: Reproductive Rights Are Taking Center Stage at the DNC

Key Point: “Several women have shared personal stories of how they have been affected by state abortion restrictions, including Kate Cox, who had to leave her home state of Texas to receive an abortion after doctors said her fetus had a fatal condition.

“‘Trump didn’t care, and because of his abortion bans, I had to flee my home,’ Cox said during the DNC’s delegate roll call on Tuesday. ‘There’s nothing pro-family about abortion bans. There’s nothing pro-life about letting women suffer and even die.’”

The 19th: Women tell their abortion, pregnancy and miscarriage stories at the first post-Roe DNC

Key Point: “‘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,’ [Hadley] Duvall said at the convention. ‘He calls it ‘a beautiful thing.’ What is so beautiful about a child having to carry her parent’s child?’’

“Duvall, now in her early 20s, became pregnant when she was 12, a result of rape by her stepfather. She ultimately experienced a miscarriage, but Duvall has spoken about her experience to criticize the state law’s extremely narrow exceptions.”

NPR: Tim Walz is a new kind of reproductive rights messenger

Key Point: “The Minnesota governor cemented that role for himself when, on Night 3 of the DNC, he highlighted his work on reproductive rights — and how the issue is personal for him.

“Walz, a father of two, repeated what’s now a familiar story about how he and his wife, Gwen, struggled to conceive.

“‘Even if you’ve never experienced the hell of infertility, I guarantee you know somebody who has,’ Walz said last week. ‘I remember praying each night for a call with good news, the pit in my stomach when the phone would ring, and the agony when we heard the treatments hadn’t worked.’”

Austin American-Statesman: At Democratic National Convention, men embrace new role as reproductive health advocates

Key Point: “In bringing men’s experiences to the surface, Democrats are capitalizing on what they see as a winning political issue while contributing to a larger shift that makes more visible men’s roles and stakes in the reproductive health process — one that has increased in momentum since the U.S. Supreme Court in 2022 reversed Roe v. Wade, ending the constitutional right to abortion established 49 years earlier.”

Politico: ‘Immediate shift’: Democrats speaking about abortion in once unimaginable ways

Key Point: […] “And on Monday night, Texas resident Josh Zurawski detailed the panic he and his wife experienced as they were sent home to wait for her to get sick enough so the hospital would terminate her nonviable pregnancy.

“‘We’re trying to create a space for men to jump into this fight,’ Zurawski told POLITICO. ‘It’s very clear that this isn’t just a woman’s issue because what happened to Amanda … impacted our family equally. It was really important to get on stage and share that message and hopefully try to broaden the number of men who view this as a major voting issue.’ […]

“‘We all felt like having a male voice was really important,’ he said.”

Tallahassee Democrat: Florida woman describes near-death from state abortion law at DNC. Who is Anya Cook?

Key Point: “When Anya Cook’s water broke in 2022, she was 16 weeks pregnant and the Broward County doctor told her she would lose the fetus. But Florida’s abortion laws meant that she would have to go back home until her situation got worse.

“‘I needed care, but my state’s abortion restrictions kept it from me,’ the Coral Springs woman said on the United Center stage on Day 4 of the Democratic National Convention. ‘I miscarried in a bathroom.’”

NPR: People who lost loved ones to gun violence spoke at the DNC, pushing for gun reform

Key Point: “Five people who suffered devastating losses from gun violence promised to push for gun reform.

“‘Our losses do not weaken us. They strengthen our resolve. We will secure safer futures that we all deserve. We will organize. We will advocate. We will run for office,’ said Rep. Lucy McBath, whose son Jordan Davis, was killed in 2012.”

The Hill: Gun violence survivors, family members strike somber tone at DNC

Key Point: “Rep. Lucy McBath (D-Ga.), who lost her son to gun violence, Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting survivor Abbey Clements, Kim Rubio, who lost her daughter in the Uvalde, Texas, school shooting, and gun violence survivors Melody McFadden and Edgar Vilchez appeared on stage together in an emotional show of  unity. 

“Each speaker shared their story and why they were advocating for gun reform. 

“‘I carry that horrific day with me,’ Clements said, holding back tears. She said the colleagues and the first graders killed at Sandy Hook should ‘still be here.’ 

“Rubio described the day leading up to the Robb Elementary shooting in Uvalde, beginning with her daughter Lexi receiving a “good citizen” award. […]

“‘Uvalde is national news,’ Rubio said. “Parents reach out for their children. I reach out for the child I will never hold again.” 

NPR: Gabby Giffords recounts her own shooting in DNC remarks

Key Point: “After the shooting, Giffords and her husband launched a gun violence prevention advocacy and research center.

“‘My friend Kamala will be a great president. She is tough. She has grit,’ Giffords said.

“‘Kamala can beat the gun lobby.’”

USA Today: Presidents from 6 labor unions throw support behind Kamala Harris at DNC: Watch speech

Key Point: “Leaders from six of the largest labor unions in the U.S. were part of the group of speakers kicking off the Democratic National Convention in Chicago on Monday.

“Most of the labor leaders spoke of their experiences working with Vice President Kamala Harris and the support their groups have enjoyed during the Biden-Harris administration.”

Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: What to know about Kenneth Stribling, retired Milwaukee truck driver who spoke at DNC

Key Point: “[Kenneth Stribling, a retired Teamster truck driver,] focused his three-minute speech on recounting his personal retirement story, as well as commending the Biden-Harris administration for passing the American Rescue Plan Act. The bill, passed in the first year of Biden’s presidency, halted the previous plan to cut pension funds in half until at least 2051.”

“‘They got it done with one single Republican vote in Congress. They saved over one million pensions, including 33,000 from my state, Wisconsin,’ Stribling said Tuesday.”

Washington Post: Exonerated members of Central Park Five warn about Trump at Democratic convention

Key Point: “On Thursday, the fourth and final night of the Democratic convention, Salaam and Wise stood on stage with two others of the Central Park Five who had been exonerated: Raymond Santana and Kevin Richardson.

“‘He wanted us dead,’ Salaam said, referring to Trump but avoiding using his name. ‘Today we are exonerated because the actual perpetrator confessed and DNA proved it. That guy says he still stands by the original guilty verdict. He dismisses the scientific evidence rather than admit he was wrong. He has never changed and he never will.’”

ABC 13 News: Jan. 6 riot gets spotlight at Democratic National Convention

Key Point: “A stream of speakers gave testimonials of their experiences that day as a video montage of footage of rioters storming the Capitol also played, showing the scenes of violence and damage to the building as people flowed inside while Congress was in a joint session to certify Joe Biden’s 2020 victory.

“A retired U.S. Capitol police officer who was there on Jan. 6 described his experience facing a mob of Trump supporting protesters. He had to go through several surgeries to repair injuries to his foot and shoulder that he suffered during the riot and testified as a witness to the Jan. 6 committee.

“‘I was assaulted with a pole attached to the American flag,’ Aquilino Gonell said. ‘President Trump summoned our attackers, incited them. He betrayed us.’”

Wisconsin Public Radio: Wisconsin mother highlights effects of lead poisoning at Democratic National Convention

Key Point: “Milwaukee mother Deanna Branch stood before thousands of Democratic delegates to explain the dangers of lead pipes in Wisconsin.

“For 11 years, the mother of three has highlighted her family’s health problems. Onstage, she told the country that when her son Aiden was 2 years old, he was hospitalized twice for having high levels of lead in his blood.” 

Detroit Free Press: At Democratic National Convention, Michigan sheriff hammers Jan. 6 riots at U.S. Capitol

Key Point: “A Michigan law enforcement official was among those delivering remarks on the final night of the Democratic National Convention, contrasting a peaceful march in the wake of George Floyd’s murder in 2020 to the riots at the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021.

“Genesee County Sheriff Chris Swanson offered brief comments to the Chicago crowd Thursday evening, saying if she were to be elected, Vice President Kamala Harris would be a president who seeks to unify the country rather than divide it. He harkened back to Harris’ time as a prosecutor in California, first as District Attorney in San Francisco then as the state’s Attorney General.”

CBS News: These Republicans denounced Trump and endorsed Harris at the DNC. Here’s what they said.

Key Point: “Former Georgia Lt. Gov. Geoff Duncan; Olivia Troye, who was homeland security adviser to Vice President Mike Pence; former Trump White House press secretary Stephanie Grisham and former Rep. Adam Kinzinger have all thrown their support behind the Democratic nominee and suggested Trump lacks the moral character to lead the nation again. 

“They all had one message to their fellow Republicans and independents: Do the right thing and vote for Harris in November. 

“‘To my fellow Republicans at home that want to pivot back toward policy, empathy and tone, you know the right thing to do, now let’s have the courage to do it in November,’ said Duncan, summarizing the other Republican speakers’ speeches as well as his own.” 

PBS NewsHour: WATCH: Nevada business owner Juanny Romero speaks at 2024 Democratic National Convention

Key Point: Juanny Romero: “I put in work to build my business. When COVID hit, this administration’s support kept us moving. I hired staff and we grew, we’ve more than doubled in size since the pandemic and it’s not just us. Over the last four years, 19 million new business applications have been filed. Like Trump, I grew up in Queens, but unlike him, I build my business with grit. That’s my story. That’s the American story.”