A mostly virtual Democratic national convention is set to begin

Hours ahead of a historic — and unconventional — Democratic National Convention, CNN's Zachary B. Wolf previewed the week ahead, fact-checked some of the misinformation around the campaign and took viewers' questions.

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Read more about why the US still has political conventions and what will happen in 2020 here.

Eva Longoria speaks at the 2020 Women at Sundance Celebration on January 27 in Park City, Utah. Suzi Pratt/Getty Images for Refinery29

Actresses and activists Eva Longoria, Tracee Ellis Ross, Kerry Washington and Julia Louis-Dreyfus will each emcee one night of the Democratic National Convention, the convention committee announced Monday.

The celebrities will weave together the two hours of live and pre-recorded material each night during the almost entirely virtual program.

Longoria, known for her role on Desperate Housewives, will lead Monday evening's programming. The actress co-founded Latino Victory Fund, the first national Latino organization to endorse Joe Biden for president.

Ross will participate in Tuesday night's programming dedicated to the theme, "Leadership Matters." Stacey Abrams and 16 other rising stars of the Democratic Party will deliver a joint keynote address that evening, offering a "diversity of different ideas" and "perspectives on how to move America forward."

Washington, who received four Emmy nominations this year, will emcee Wednesday evening's programming, when former President Barack Obama and presumptive vice presidential nominee Kamala Harris are slated to speak.

Louis-Dreyfus, who played Vice President Selina Meyer on the HBO series 'Veep,' will appear on Thursday, the night Biden is set to accept the Democratic presidential nomination. The 'Veep' star has spoken at virtual events and fundraisers for the former vice president on the campaign trail, especially making a case for his empathy and stance on healthcare.

Dreyfus shared in June that Biden, whose son Beau died of brain cancer, was one of the first people to reach out to her after she was diagnosed with breast cancer. She noted that his "genuine kindness and concern" made her cry.

"Joe Biden actually understands that care is part of health care," she said during the Women for Biden event.

Former South Bend, Indiana Mayor Pete Buttigieg participates in a health equity round table in Greenville, South Carolina on February 27. Win McNamee/Getty Images

Former Democratic presidential candidate Pete Buttigieg signaled today he was open to serving in a Biden-Harris administration should an offer be extended.

When asked about the President’s “assault” on various American institutions, Buttigieg said the public needs to be prepared for the President to attack the election and the results.

“The President seems to have a project of undermining the confidence of the American people in our own institutions in a way that undercuts democracy itself. And at this point, you know, the President is losing. If nothing changes, he will lose big in November. We the public need to be prepared for the President to attack the democratic system itself and, after the fact, to attack the legitimacy of the election that will have unseated him,” Buttigieg said. “We have to be ready on the backend to resist any effort to undermine democracy itself.”

Buttigieg said while he will continue working to elect Biden-Harris to the White House, “we must not make the mistake of treating the presidency like the only office that matters.”

“Republicans were smart about this, starting a generation ago building up majorities, building up power in our American system that puts so much power in those local and state offices. We have to make sure we are paying attention to that too,” Buttigieg said.

Former Ohio Gov. John Kasich participates in a discussion with former Colorado Gov. John Hickenlooper as part of the Brookings Institution's Middle Class Initiative October 10, 2018 in Washington. Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images

The most out-of-place figure on the first night of the DNC will be John Kasich, the Republican former governor of Ohio.

Kasich was a candidate for the GOP nomination in 2016, and has turned into a prominent voice of the party's "Never Trump" movement. And while his selection for a speaking slot at the convention angered progressives, handing the spotlight to such a well-known Republican could help Biden's campaign strike chords of unity.

Kasich won't be alone among the Democrats.

Former New Jersey Republican Gov. Christine Todd Whitman, former Hewlett Packard CEO Meg Whitman, who ran for governor as a Republican in California in 2010 but backed Hillary Clinton in 2016, and former New York Republican Rep. Susan Molinari will speak in the run-up to Kasich's address.

There is a history of political parties inviting a former political rival into their convention lineup. In 2008, then-Connecticut Sen. Joe Lieberman — just eight years after being the Democratic vice presidential nominee — spoke at the Republican National Convention in favor of then-Arizona Sen. John McCain. In 2012, Charlie Crist, who had previously served as the Republican governor of Florida (and is now a Democratic congressman), backed former President Barack Obama's re-election at that year's DNC.

What we know: Kasich's message is likely to be oriented toward the need for a functioning government. As a 2016 presidential contender, he often touted his role as a one-time House budget chairman who negotiated spending plans with a surplus with former President Bill Clinton.

Democratic presidential candidate former Vice President Joe Biden and Sen. Kamala Harris arrive to deliver remarks at Alexis Dupont High School on August 12 in Wilmington, Delaware. Drew Angerer/Getty Images

Former Vice President Joe Biden, the Democratic party's presumptive nominee, is set to accept the party's nomination and deliver his acceptance speech this Thursday during the Democratic National Convention held in a virtual setting. His running mate Kamala Harris will do the same a night earlier.

“You got to unite this country. The only way it's going to work, I think we can do it,” he continued.

A scaled-back event: The convention was originally going to take place in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, but due to the pandemic and safety concerns, Biden and keynote speakers will not be traveling to the city and speeches will be streamed from multiple locations on video. Biden and Harris will deliver their convention speeches from the Chase Center in Biden's hometown of Wilmington, Delaware, spokesperson Michael Gwin confirmed to CNN.

The convention will feature just two hours of prime time programming on each of the four nights. The decision to limit the programming, which will be streamed online and aired by TV networks, from 9 p.m. to 11 p.m. ET each night is one of the starkest signs yet of how unconventional this year's gathering will be in the age of coronavirus compared to previous conventions, typically filled with various events and speakers for many hours each day.

The Democratic National Convention has announced "Uniting America" as the theme for its four-night convention that will seek to argue why Democrats believe Biden is the candidate to lead the US out of a global crisis, contrasting his leadership style with that of President Trump.  

Billie Eilish performs onstage during the 62nd Annual Grammy Awards at the Staples Center in Los Angeles on January 26. Kevin Winter/Getty Images

The Democratic National Convention Committee announced several artists that will perform during the convention, including Leon Bridges, The Chicks, Common, Billie Eilish, Jennifer Hudson, John Legend, Billy Porter, Maggie Rogers, Prince Royce, and Stephen Stills. 

According to a news release, the performances will range from renditions of the national anthem, to American classics, to new songs.

Additionally, 57 youth choir members representing each of the 57 states and territories will perform the National Anthem Monday evening. 

Sen. Cory Booker speaks as Sen. Kamala Harris looks from behind him during a Senate Judiciary Committee on Capitol Hill on June 16 in Washington. Jonathan Ernst/Pool/Getty Images

Democratic New Jersey Sen. Cory Booker said Monday that he’s excited about the Democratic National Convention this week, acknowledging that the all-virtual format will not look quite the same as years past but will be no less important.

“I know this is going to be different. But i think it's actually going to be a little more intimate,” Booker told CNN’s John Berman on new day.

Booker said he was very happy when it was announced that Joe Biden had chosen Kamala Harris as his running mate. 

“I was so happy, not just because I love her dearly, but because I knew what this would mean for America, for generations yet unborn that will look to her and now in the pantheon of great Black women, great women, great Americans of history,” Booker said. “You haven't seen anything yet. when America gets to know her better, they are going to continuously be inspired by the kind of heart, grit, guts and love that she has and has for this nation.”

In this Dec. 4, 2018, then Ohio Gov. John Kasich speaks at The City Club of Cleveland, in Cleveland. Tony Dejak/AP

John Kasich, the Republican former governor of Ohio, will be delivering remarks tonight at the Democratic National Convention.

According to excerpts released by organizers, Kasich will use his speech to support presumptive presidential nominee Joe Biden and say his attachment to the Republican party "holds second place to my responsibility to my country."

Kasich was a candidate for the GOP nomination in 2016, and has turned into a prominent voice of the party's "Never Trump" movement.

And while his selection for a speaking slot at the convention angered progressives, handing the spotlight to such a well-known Republican could help Biden's campaign strike chords of unity.

Read excerpts of his speech here:

Then Democratic presidential candidate Sen. Bernie Sanders delivers a campaign update at the Hotel Vermont on March 11 in Burlington, Vermont. Scott Eisen/Getty Images

Sen. Bernie Sanders is set to be one of the major speakers tonight as the Democratic Convention begins virtually. 

In excerpts released by organizers, the former presidential candidate will call the 2020 election the "most important in the modern history of this country" and call on the country to unite to "defeat Donald Trump." 

Read more of the excerpts here: