Sanders, Michelle Obama dominate

PHILADELPHIA (AP):

Bernie Sanders said he is "proud to stand with" Hillary Clinton, while Michelle Obama said Clinton has "the guts and grace" to be president, as Democrats strove to appear unified at their national convention in the face of a political firestorm over hacked emails.

Democrats looked to defuse tensions by announcing that outgoing party chair Debbie Wasserman Schultz would not take the stage. She has long been a focus of criticism from Sanders and his backers for her apparent bias in Clinton's favour.

Many of Sanders' supporters weren't appeased, and they jeered as speakers lauded Clinton.

Seeking to avoid a nationally televised display of disunity, Sanders urged his supporters to back Clinton.

The Vermont senator tried to settle roiling tensions between his ardent, left-leaning supporters and the party's rank and file that back Clinton. He spoke directly to supporters, sent them texts and made an appeal as the final speaker on Monday.

He told the convention that "Hillary Clinton must become the next president of the United States.

"If you don't believe this election is important, if you think you can sit it out, take a moment to think about the Supreme Court justices that Donald Trump would nominate and what that would mean to civil liberties, equal rights and the future of our country," he said.

Not even Sanders could quiet the shouts of his diehard supporters - but Michelle Obama did. She delivered a sharp attack on Trump - without ever mentioning his name.

She said she wants to see elected "someone who understands that the issues a president faces are not black and white and cannot be boiled down to 140 characters."

That was a clear reference to Trump, the tireless tweeter.

She lauded Clinton as a woman with a heart and as a future president who never "buckles under pressure" or takes the easy way out.