Donovan Slack

USA TODAY

On day one of the Democratic National Convention, drama was swirling despite the party’s attempts to display unity — and show a contrast with Republicans — in the lead-up to the official nomination of Hillary Clinton.

Embattled party chairwoman Debbie Wasserman Schultz was going to gavel in the convention … until she suddenly wasn’t after being booed at a Florida delegation breakfast. Then there’s that whole email mess, which may or may not be a plot by Vladimir Putin to get Donald Trump elected.

And of course, there were the #BernieBros, who were not jumping to Camp Clinton without some boos and a huge joint protest (more on that below).

We have all the highlights right here to catch you up fast:

Bernie: Hillary must become president

Sanders, the independent senator from Vermont who sparked a self-described political revolution, threw a bone in his remarks to supporters who disrupted the convention’s first day.

“I understand that many people here in this convention hall and around the country are disappointed about the final results of the nominating process. I think it’s fair to say that no one is more disappointed than I am,” he said.

But Sanders said his push this election was never about candidates, himself or Clinton included, or polls or media buzz, but rather it’s been about drawing attention to — and hence addressing — massive inequality in America.

“This election is about — and must be about — the needs of the American people and the kind of future we create for our children and our grandchildren,” he said.

And he said any objective observer would conclude there is only person equipped to meet those needs in the Oval Office.

“Hillary Clinton must become the next president of the United States,” he declared.

His social media team was ready for Trump's reaction.

FLOTUS: ‘I’m With Her’

First lady Michelle Obama hailed Clinton’s perseverance and discipline and launched a veiled attack on Trump and his Twitter tirades, saying that problems presidents face are not black-and-white issues and “cannot be boiled down to 140 characters.”

She said she wants the next president to set an example for her children and those across the nation by not chasing “fame and fortune for ourselves” but to work together to solve problems.

“You can’t have a thin skin,” she said “You need to be steady and measured and well-informed.”

She noted that Clinton did not pack up her ball and go home after losing the nomination in 2008 but instead took on the job of secretary of State and soldiered on, fighting for what she believes in.

“She never buckles under pressure,” Obama said. “She never takes the easy way out, and Hillary Clinton has never quit on anything in her life.”

She tapped one of the campaign’s slogans, “We are always stronger together,” and pledged “In this election, I’m with her.”

Elizabeth Warren: Don’t buy into Trump ‘infomercial’

The Massachusetts senator and darling of progressives went full attack dog against Trump, saying he is not going to “make anything great for anyone except rich guys like Donald Trump.”

She said he has not lifted a finger to help working people and said, “Why would he when his whole life has been about taking advantage of that rigged system.”

“He’s conned them, he’s defrauded them, and he’s ripped them off,” Warren said, adding that she believes he’s trying to do the same to the American people.

“Trump’s entire campaign is just one more late-night Trump infomercial,” she said.

Trump tweet in 3, 2, 1 ... And there it is, replete with his favored nickname for Warren referencing the controversy over her prior claims of having native American heritage.

Demi Lovato talks mental illness

The songstress who has struggled with bipolar disorder said Clinton will best address mental illness and its consequences, including substance abuse.

“Like millions of Americans, I am living with mental illness. But I am lucky. I had the resources and support to get treatment at a top facility," Lovato said. "Unfortunately, too many Americans from all walks of life don’t get help, whether they fear the stigma or cannot afford treatment.”

Lovato said she is living proof that people affected by it can live full and healthy lives and that she wants politicians to pass laws providing more access to treatment.

"This is not about politics, its simply the right thing to do," she said.

The Serious Senator returns to comedy

Al Franken, the former full-time comedian who has made it a point to stay super-serious since being elected to represent Minnesota in the Senate, returned to his comedic roots, riffing on Trump University, RNC speaker Scott Baio (Chachi of Happy Days fame), infamous scam artist Bernie Madoff and more.

Here’s the best zingers from his prepared remarks:

“I got my doctorate in megalomania studies from Trump University. Sure I had to empty out my 401k and take out a reverse mortgage on my house to pay the tuition, but Mr. Trump — or rather some people who said they’d once met him – convinced me it was worth it.”

“Did you know that Trump University’s School of Ripping People Off is ranked second in the nation? Right behind Bernie Madoff University. That’s no mean feat.”

“Trump University is about more then bilking people … It’s also about learning directly from success experts like Scott Baio, Mike Tyson, and of course, a life-size cardboard cutout of Mr. Trump himself.”

“Clearly, Donald Trump’s enormous, dare I say ‘yuuge’ success as a businessman qualifies him to be president. And if you believe that, I’ve got some Trump steaks I’d like to sell you.”

Sarah Silverman to Bernie loyalists: 'You're being ridiculous'

The comedian was sharing the stage with Franken when the pair were apparently told to "stretch" a bit to allow Paul Simon more time before his performance.

Silverman, a Sanders supporter, had delivered a forceful argument that Sanders and the BernieBros have done a lot to impact the national conversation and election and that it's time to support Clinton. She joked that she had been feeling the Bern: "Relax I put some cream on it."

But when it came time to run out the clock some, she delivered a more direct message:

"To the Bernie or bust people, you're being ridiculous," she said. The audience erupted and Franken stepped forward to her defense. "This is a comedian! This is the power of comedy."

Cory Booker omits Bernie reference?

An eagle-eyed Yahoo! News reporter first spotted it:

Here's the full passage from the prepared speech:

"She knows that debt-free college is not a gift, it's not charity, it's an investment. It represents the best of our values, the best of our history, the best of our party: Bernie's ideas, Hillary's ideas, our shared ideas. Our shared values."

Susan Sarandon literally having worst time: 'Accurate'

The Oscar-winning actor and enthusiastic Bernie supporter was so not acting...

Wassup, #BernieBros?

Sanders loyalists launched a raucous round of boos as the convention officially kicked off, and they also booed Sanders himself when he tried to persuade them to shift their support to Clinton. That sent the number of Google searches for "booing" higher than last week, when Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, got booed off stage when he didn't endorse Trump:

Outside the arena, the award for best Bern protest demonstration definitely went to these guys:

#Winning Twitter

What you didn't see on television: A massive storm pelted Philadelphia, driving protesters outside to shelter under a freeway overpass and flooding the media tents (yes, we are working in tents outside the arena), spurring some seriously creative Twitter. Our personal favorite, playing on the WikiLeaks release of DNC emails:

#DNCLeak derails daytime messaging

The Democrats had wanted to focus conversation on their convention program focusing on (what they call the rigged) system. But for much of the day they were forced to talk about... emails. Again.

Since WikiLeaks released some 19,252 Democratic National Committee emails over the weekend, the controversy claimed the job of Wasserman Schultz, who is resigning after the convention, and the fallout continued Monday as people continued digging through the trove.

Famed leaker Edward Snowden posted this one and suggested Donna Brazile, who took over as interim DNC chairwoman, may not be an unbiased replacement.

Clinton press secretary Brian Fallon, meanwhile, was blaming the Russians for the hack, noting on CNN that the FBI has opened an investigation and there’s “a lot of evidence” that the Russians are behind it.

“This is a very serious thing, for Russia it’s one thing to do espionage … this would be tampering with an election in an attempt to produce a particular candidate,” he said. “In this case it looks like they’re on the side of Trump and that would explain a lot considering Donald Trump is going around suggesting crazy things that are even causing Republicans to blush … He has strangely been going around praising Putin for a long time now.”

The view from the floor …

Trump’s master trolling

The Republican nominee hit Twitter (as he so often does) and tried to blame Clinton in the DNC email controversy:

His campaign also announced Monday that he will do an “Ask Me Anything” chat on Reddit on Wednesday, no doubt an attempt to divert attention from the Democratic convention. President Obama is slated to speak in Philly that night.

Unsurprisingly, Trump has maintained interest even as the spotlight shifts to Philly. He racked up 14% more searches Monday than presumptive Democratic nominee, according to the folks at Google.

Trump stumps in Virginia, bashes Kaine

The burning questions you didn’t know you wanted answered

My colleague Eliza Collins reported the top trending questions people are asking about Clinton:

1. What does Hillary Clinton need?

2. Why did Hillary hire Debbie Wasserman Schultz?

3. Where is the movie about Hillary Clinton showing?

4. How was Benghazi Hillary Clinton's fault?

5. How do I contact Hillary Clinton?

And about her vice presidential running mate, Sen. Tim Kaine, D-Va.

1. Is Tim Kaine left-handed?

2. Who is Tim Kaine married to?

3. Who is Tim Kaine?

4. Where did Tim Kaine go to high school?

5. Is Tim Kaine pro-life?

We asked the Clinton campaign if they wanted to provide quick answers but her folks demurred.

What we can say is that Kaine is married to Anne Holton, the Virginia secretary of education, and he went to Rockhurst High School in Kansas City, Mo., WDAF reports.

Eliza Collins contributed.

Latest podcast from Cup of Politics