Democrats Brace for a Hot, Messy Convention

This year's Republican National Convention was the wildest in decades—and with legions of disgruntled Bernie Sanders supporters, dozens of planned protests (including a fart-in), and the sudden resignation of DNC chief Debbie Wasserman Schultz on the eve of the convention, things could get just as crazy for the Democrats this week. A roundup of coverage as delegates gather in Philadelphia:

• NPR looks at some of the protest groups that have obtained no fewer than 28 permits for marches and rallies. They include "Black Men for Bernie" and the "Poor People's Economic Human Rights Campaign," which is stocking up on beans ahead of a planned "fart-in" to be held as Hillary Clinton accepts the nomination.

• The Wrap lists the "fart-in menace" as one of three ways that the convention could go wrong for Clinton. The others are Bill Clinton veering badly off-message—or having nothing go wrong, which would leave Hillary with no way to "demonstrate her resilience and ability to roll with adversity."
• A full list of speakers and caucus meetings at the Wells Fargo Center can be found here. Sanders speaks Monday night, followed by Michelle Obama.
• The Hill looks at the story Hillary Clinton's campaign plans to tell over the four days of the convention, finishing with a speech Thursday night that Clinton ally Rep. Emanuel Cleaver says will be her most important ever—and possibly the most important at a Democratic convention since JFK in 1960.
• The protests, most of them involving Sanders supporters, began Sunday, and the ones to follow are expected to be bigger than anything seen at the RNC, the AP reports. They will also be hotter, with the region in the grip of a heat wave that will bring temperatures over 100 Monday.
• Politico looks at Democrats' efforts to calm the "chaos" in the party following the leak of DNC emails that revealed an anti-Sanders bias. Insiders say party leaders hope to get things under control before there is a "Ted Cruz moment."
• Sanders has called for unity, but some of his supporters still hope for a contested convention and may seek to nominate an alternative candidate to Tim Kaine for vice president, the Washington Post reports.
• The DNC won't be dealing with nearly as many high-profile no-shows as the RNC, reports Politico, but one big name who won't be there is Al Gore. The 2000 nominee, who has yet to formally endorse Clinton, says he has "obligations in Tennessee."
• But there will be an unexpected high-profile speaker: Michael Bloomberg. A Bloomberg adviser tells the New York Times that the former Democrat, who was a Republican during his years as mayor of New York City and is now an independent, will endorse Clinton during a prime-time address.
• A Politico survey of Democratic operatives in 11 battleground states highlighted the challenges Clinton faces in getting the party fired up: Only 10% think she will make the best case for the party this week. Some 49% said President Obama will be most effective, and 26% chose Elizabeth Warren.

(More Democratic National Convention stories.)