Donald Trump is due to address Republicans tonight at the party’s first ever national convention ahead of the crucial midterm elections, with the GOP hoping to energize voters as it fights to hold its narrow congressional majorities.
asserted
it → address → majorities
The two-day gathering takes place in Dallas, marking a break from the longstanding tradition of holding national conventions only during presidential election years.
“It has never been done before, and will be a truly Historic Event,” Trump said in July while announcing the convention, promising the convention would feature “Great Entertainment”.
asserted
convention → take → Entertainment
Trump first floated the idea for a convention last year, arguing that it would provide an opportunity to showcase his administration’s achievements since he returned to the White House in 2024.
asserted
he → float → 2024
More than 100 House members and candidates are expected, with over 50 speakers or presentations scheduled each night.
asserted
speakers → expect → ?
Trump delivers this evening’s keynote speech and returns for Thursday’s finale after vice-president JD Vance speaks.
asserted
Vance → deliver → finale
Cabinet members, congressional leaders and candidates in closely watched House and Senate races are also on the program.
asserted
members → watch → program
Republicans plan to highlight tax cuts, immigration enforcement, manufacturing and prescription drug prices, while depicting Democrats as dangerously far to the left.
asserted
Republicans → plan → left
In other developments:
Clashing court rulings plunged Missouri’s congressional elections into uncertainty.
asserted
rulings → clash → uncertainty
The US Supreme Court decided not to intervene to reinstate a Donald Trump-backed US House map, upholding a a ruling from the state’s highest state court that prevented the use of the map in the November elections.
asserted
that → decide → elections
But shortly after a federal judge temporarily barred the state from using its old congressional maps in November.
asserted
judge → bar → November
The US military destroyed five Iranian crude oil carriers after a US navy warship was targeted with ballistic missiles.
asserted
warship → destroy → missiles
Iran had targeted the warship twice over two days, the US Central Command said.
asserted
Command → target → days
The US will ban Canadian dairy products, motorcycles and most alcoholic beverages.
asserted
US → ban → products
The move marked an escalation in the ongoing trade war between the North American countries, and comes just after Canada announced retaliatory tariffs on $20bn in US goods.
asserted
Canada → mark → goods
Congressman Chris Pappas beat back progressive challenger Karishma Manzur in the New Hampshire Democratic primary for US Senate.
asserted
Pappas → beat → Senate
Former senator John E Sununu, who is backed by Trump, won the state’s Republican Senate primary.
asserted
who → back → primary
Lonnie G Bunch III announced he is stepping down as secretary of the Smithsonian Institution after seven years in the role amid Donald Trump’s unprecedented crackdown on the world’s largest museum’s autonomy.
asserted
he → announce → autonomy
On the first day of the fall semester at California State University, Northridge, student organizers holding “Hot People Vote” signs wheeled a bright pink wagon outside the student union.
asserted
People → hold → union
They offered “no strings attached” donuts, heart-shaped sunglasses and voting information for the November general election.
asserted
strings → offer → election
Even though it was 105F outside, dozens of people stopped by to chat with the Donuts + Democracy volunteers and register to vote.
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dozens → stop → volunteers
One student told organizer Dzian Tran that she didn’t plan to vote because she was disillusioned with politics.
asserted
she → tell → politics
Tran chatted with her about how civic engagement is important to democracy and how some elections are won by a margin of only 400 votes.
asserted
elections → chat → votes
As she thanked Tran, the student held her phone up to a QR code to get more information about voting.
asserted
student → thank → voting
About 50 million young people are eligible to vote in 2026, but nearly half are either not registered or civically engaged, according to US Census Bureau data.
uncertain
half → vote → data
After young people shiftedright for Donald Trump in 2024, Democratic-aligned groups have been eager to capture gen Z voters who may be disaffected by politics.
uncertain
who → shiftedright → politics
From bringing politicians, celebrities and donuts to campuses to hosting tailgating events, happy hours and street parties, a crop of youth-led and youth-focused organizations are employing fresh tactics to meet gen Z where they are – and luring them in with fun.
asserted
they → bring → fun
Heather Haggarty, who runs Democracy + Donuts with her daughter, said traditional voter engagement strategies such as postcards, clipboards and phone-banking fail with young voters.
asserted
strategies → run → voters
When her two gen Z children suggested taking donuts to a university voter registration event a few years ago, she ended up speaking to more than 100 kids in 90 minutes.
uncertain
she → suggest → minutes
Haggarty said the deep-fried snack is akin to “breaking bread”, making zoomers more willing to talk and connect.
asserted
zoomers → say → bread
“Young kids aren’t apathetic,” she said.
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she → say → ?
“They care.
asserted
They → care → ?
But voting isn’t easy and traditional voter engagement can feel transactional and alienating.”
asserted
engagement → feel → ?
Americans are more skeptical of government information than they were a few years ago, with majorities now saying they have little or no trust in federal government information about elections and politics, foreign affairs or the environment, a new poll has found.
asserted
poll → say → elections
The survey from the Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research and USA Facts shows that while mistrust of government information has grown since 2024, it is higher than it was at the end of president Donald Trump’s first term.
asserted
it → show → term
Those suspicions extend to the results of the coming midterm elections.
asserted
suspicions → extend → elections
Only 34% of US adults trust government certifications of election results “a great deal” or “quite a bit,” which is down slightly from 40% in 2024.
asserted
which → trust → 2024
Certification is a typically routine process in which local and state officials confirm the vote count but it has become politicized since Trump lost the 2020 presidential election.
asserted
Trump → confirm → election
Trust in government information has also become more partisan since Trump’s first term, the survey found.
asserted
survey → become → term
Trump gave $45,000 to Natalie Harp and other White House aides as holiday gifts
Donald Trump gave sizable holiday gifts to four White House aides, according to new financial disclosures released by the administration, including $45,000 to executive assistant Natalie Harp.
uncertain
Trump → give → Harp
Communications adviser Margo Martin and deputy director of Oval Office operations Chamberlain Harris also received $45,000, while director of Oval Office operations Walt Nauta received a $20,000 gift.
asserted
Nauta → receive → gift
…and 22 more, not listed.
The Aporia
