While Cummings cast the Democratic Party as one of inclusiveness and unity, roughly half of the people in the Wells Fargo Center held up signs with a red circle and a line through it over the letters TPP, an abbreviation of the controversial trade deal.
Sen. Bernie Sanders made strong opposition to the free trade pact central to his insurgent campaign, and explicit rejection of the trade deal was one of the few concessions the Sanders camp was unable to win when the party drafted its platform last week.
Clinton recently came out against the trade deal, which was ratified under the Obama administration, but Sanders supporters have expressed questions about the sincerity of her disavowal.
Cummings was able to speak over the TPP chants, but they remained audible in the arena and the signs stood out from others people held up. — Tim Ryan
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5:23 p.m.
PHILADELPHIA (CN) — To quell the divisiveness between Clinton and Sanders supporters, the Democratic Convention rules committee paraded out two members of the newly formed Unity Reform Commission, a collaboration between the Sanders and Clinton campaigns to establish a more democratic primary election practices.
"Hillary Clinton and Bernie Sanders are both our champions and both deserve our cheers," said Wellington Webb, a Colorado Clinton backer.
Maine State Rep. Diane Russell spoke on behalf of Sanders, and was greeted to "Bernie, Bernie," chants.
Russell also drew cheers by announcing her roll in changing the super delegate system.
"On behalf of Senator Sanders and the political revolution, [we are] in strong support of the unity compromise," Russell said, adding that the compromise will reduce the number of super delegates by sixty percent. "We did not win this by selling out. We won this by standing up."
At the end of Russell's address, she added the tagline popular among Sanders supporters, "This is what democracy looks like." The chant was echoed throughout the crowd.
"Whether you support Senator Sanders or Hillary Clinton, we will all have a voice in the Clinton administration," Russell said before adding that a Donald Trump presidency is a far worse fate than a Clinton presidency. Russell was roundly cheered.
The rules committee then held a voice vote, and although there were a few nays, the Unity Reform motions passed. - Ryan Abbott.
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5:10 p.m.
PHILADELPHIA (CN) - With Sen. Bernie Sanders' highly anticipated speech to the Democratic National Convention just hours away, delegates are split on what they would like to hear from Hillary Clinton's fiercest rival.
Some Sanders backers, a diehard group of mostly young voters, say they want the insurgent candidate to continue the fight for the "revolution" he claims to have started, while Clinton supporters say he has a responsibility to get his base in line.
"We've got to see big picture here," Wisconsin delegate Deb Klock told Courthouse News.
Though Sanders, an independent senator from Vermont, endorsed Clinton earlier this month, some of his most ardent supporters say it was painful to see and are still not sold on the presumptive Democratic nominee.
"Hillary has to give me a reason to vote for her first, she hasn't done that yet," South Dakota delegate Dylan Workman said. "Unfortunately, unfortunately. And I've been a Democrat for a long time now, but I still believe that every candidate should earn every vote they get."
As the convention gaveled in, Sanders supporters showcased their support by booing or chanting "Bernie" any time Clinton's name was mentioned during opening proceedings.
For Clinton supporters, Sanders' backers need to see the possibility of Donald Trump winning the presidency and fall in line behind their party's candidate, no matter how bitter the primary season was.
Klock told the story of a friend of hers, an ardent Sanders supporter, who is now a Clinton backer after she warned him about what happened in the 2000 election. Many believe votes that went to Green Party Candidate Ralph Nader instead of former Vice President Al Gore put George W. Bush in the White House.
Clinton supporters therefore hope to hear a message of unity from Sanders to help the party defeat Trump.
"Our message, really, is stronger together," North Carolina delegate Zack Hawkins told Courthouse News. "And at the end of the day both of them are stronger together. Their message and their supporters are stronger together if we're going to continue Obama's legacy."
Despite the presence of the two distinct camps and their fans, party faithful insist they are united.
Louisiana delegate and Clinton supporter Michael McHale said he expects Sanders' speech Monday night will help to bring his supporters under Clinton's umbrella.
"We're not nearly as divided as the Republicans," McHale told Courthouse News. "We have work to do, but I think a lot of it will be done tonight." — Tim Ryan
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4:40 p.m.
PHILADELPHIA (CN) - Audible boos came from delegates and others gathered in the Wells Fargo Center when the reverend giving the invocation said the convention was gathered to elect Hillary Clinton president.
Boos rained down from the top of the arena and rose from the floor after Rev. Dr. Cynthia Hale mentioned Clinton's name. Chants of "Bernie, Bernie" followed, though pro-Clinton shows of support rivaled them.
A massive contingent of fiercely devoted supporters of Sen. Bernie Sanders is present at the convention and many are still struggling to turn over to Clinton's side even after their candidate endorsed the presumptive Democratic nominee.
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4:01 p.m.
PHILADELPHIA (CN) — The rancor and bad blood between Hillary Clinton supporters and Bernie Sanders supporters outside the Democratic National Convention on Monday outdid the animosity between factions on display at the Republican National Convention in Cleveland last week.
"No way I'm voting for her!" shouted a female demonstrator at the crowd of conventiongoers shuffling in between security check points.
"[Expletive] off," a man in a pinstripe suit responded.
"No, you [expletive] off," the woman shot back.
Religious groups similar to the ones haunting the perimeter of the RNC appeared around the Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia, though because of the pro-abortion rights platform of the Democratic Party, those groups focused more on abortion than the general repentance messages seen in Cleveland.
"You're all members of a party that kills children," shouted a man holding a large picture of an aborted fetus. "Just like in Nazi Germany!"
Sanders supporters have been remarkably jubilant to be in Philadelphia thus far, despite the recent news that hacked emails from the DNC seemed to show party leaders' clear favoritism for Clinton.
Committee Chair Debbie Wasserman-Schultz told press Monday morning that she would not gavel in the convention, a responsibility she held onto after news of the scandal broke over the weekend, leading her to resign. — Ryan Abbott
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