Joe Biden’s exit, talk of the glass ceiling, a civil rights hero. Takeaways from Day 1 of the DNC

CHICAGO (AP) — The Democratic National Convention set up its first night to feature speeches from the last Democrat to lose to Donald Trump and the last one to beat him.

Hillary Clinton spoke about finally breaking the “glass ceiling” to elect a female president. Joe Biden was scheduled to be the final speaker in Chicago on Monday night, even as protesters against the war in Gaza churned a few blocks from the convention hall.

Here are some takeaways from the first night of the convention.

A surprise Harris appearance to pay tribute to Biden

The vice president made an unscheduled appearance onstage to pay tribute to Biden ahead of his own address to the convention. She told the president, “Thank you for your historic leadership, for your lifetime of service to our nation, and for all you’ll continue to do.”

On a night meant to honor the president who stepped aside to make way for Harris, the vice president added, “We are forever grateful to you.” Her running mate, Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, and her husband, Doug Emhoff, were in the stands to cheer her message.

Harris, in her brief remarks, said that looking out on the crowd, “I see the beauty of our great nation,” stressing the importance of promoting diversity and embracing optimism.

Hillary Clinton revives talk of breaking that ‘glass ceiling’

Clinton was greeted with wild and sustained applause that lasted for more than two minutes before she quieted the crowd. She delivered a fiery speech hoping that Harris could do what she could not –- become the first woman president by beating Trump.

Clinton evoked her 2016 concession speech by referencing all the “cracks in the glass ceiling” that she and her voters had achieved. And she painted a vision of Harris “on the other side of