Democratic convention begins amid emails scandal cloud

The Democratic convention to anoint Hillary Clinton as the presidential nominee and make her the first woman flag-bearer of any major American political party began today amid a row over leaked emails that led to the resignation of the party's chairwoman.
Hours before the start of the convention, the chairwoman of the Democratic party Debbie Wasserman Schultz resigned, dealing a blow to hopes of demonstrating unity in the face of the threat from Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump.
Philadelphia, the city where US' founding fathers signed the Declaration of Independence in 1776 and the Constitution in 1778, is all set to make history with the Democratic National Convention, during which for the first time in America's history a woman would be nominated by a major party as its presidential candidate.

Having overcome a bitter and tough battle against her primary rival Bernie Sanders, who surprised all garnering overwhelming support from across the country in particular the youths, the former secretary of state Clinton would be formally nominated as the Democratic Party's presidential nominee here.
When on Thursday, Clinton, 68, delivers her acceptance speech, she would make history and if she is elected in the November general elections, she would be the first woman president of the United States.
Last week, she selected Senator Tim Kaine from Virginia as her vice presidential running mate.

Clinton faces fellow New Yorker Trump in the November 8 election with the latest poll figures suggesting that the 70-year-old business tycoon has taken a slight lead over her.

Clinton's campaign, however, argues that she would increase her lead over the Republican rival after the Philadelphia convention.
The convention started under the cloud of the emails scandal with Congresswoman Schultz, Chairwoman of Democratic National Committee, announcing her resignation after the emails leaked by Wikileaks showed that she tended to support Clinton over Sanders in the party's presidential primaries.
Clinton has said she would present a positive vision of the country in Philadelphia, where the Democratic National Party has lined up a galaxy of Americans to match the historic event.
Topping the list will be US President Barack Obama, First Lady Michelle and Clinton's husband and former US President Bill Clinton.

On the first day itself, the convention among others would be addressed by Sanders and Michelle.
Neera Tanden, a close confident of Clinton and president of the Center for American Progress and widely seen as a potential Cabinet member of a Clinton Administration, is the only Indian-American to be listed as a speaker during the convention. She would address the convention on July 27.
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Several Indian-American members of the Clinton Campaign too would be attending the four-day convention.
"As Donald Trump continues his divisive convention in Cleveland with dangerous ideas that would pose a threat to our economy and national security, Democrats are preparing to lay out the clear stakes in this election in Philadelphia -- a choice between building walls and tearing people down or an optimistic unifying vision where everyone has a role to play in building our future," the party said in a statement.

However, as several thousands of party delegates and leaders landed in this historic city for the historic convention, the party was engulfed in the major controversy surrounding the leak of emails.
Undeterred by the controversy, Hillary for America and Democratic National Convention Committee announced a diverse range of everyday Americans who will share their stories and experiences at the convention of an America that is stronger together.
Among them include Khizr Khan from Virginia. His son, Humayun S M. Khan was a University of Virginia graduate and enlisted in the US Army.
Humayun was one of 14 American Muslims who died serving the United States in the ten years after the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks.