‘Trump-a-palooza’ kicks off in Texas

It’s Wednesday, and the wait is over for football fans. The NFL regular season kicks off tonight!

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The GOP will host its first midterms convention in Dallas, Texas on Wednesday afternoon. President Trump will headline the two-day event, which Republican National Committee (RNC) Chair Joe Gruters has labelled “Trump-a-palooza.”

Prepare for a busy couple nights. The event has 100 speeches, presentations and performances listed on its schedule.

Wednesday’s speakers will include Attorney General Todd Blanche , Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent and Texas Attorney General and GOP Senate nominee Ken Paxton (R).

Programming will also feature candidates from key swing districts and federal immigration enforcement officers.

Meanwhile, Democrats will hold their own rally in Dallas , House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries announced Friday.

“Americans are being crushed by rising costs. Republicans don’t care—they’re in Dallas, celebrating an out of touch President whose tariffs and wars are making things worse. We’re going to hold them accountable,” wrote Rep. Jason Crow (D-Colo.), who will attend the Democratic counterprogramming, on the social platform X.

📅 The full slate: Look at the full schedule of Wednesday’s RNC convention speakers below (All times EDT):

4-5 p.m.: RNC Chair Joe Gruters , Rep. Monica De La Cruz (R-Texas) and House candidate Carlos De La Cruz (R-Texas), Rep. Anna Paulina Luna (R-Fla.) Housing and Urban Development Sec. Scott Turner and Rep. Derrick Van Orden (R-Wis.)

5-6 p.m. : House Majority Leader Rep. Steve Scalise (R-La.), House Majority Whip Rep. Tom Emmer (R-Minn.), National Republican Senatorial Committee Chair Tim Scott (R-S.C.), Republican Attorneys General Association Chair AG Austin Knudsen (R-Mont.), North Carolina Senate nominee Michael Whatley (R) and Senate Majority Whip John Barrasso (R-Wyo.)

6-7 p.m. : Rep. Brandon Gill (R-Texas), Texas Attorney General and Senate nominee Ken Paxton (R) and Rep. Rob Bresnahan (R-Pa.)

7-8 p.m. : Sen. John Husted (R-Ohio), Sen. Dave McCormick (R-Pa.), Adam Carolla , Georgia GOP Senate nominee Rep. Mike Collins, Oklahoma lieutenant governor nominee T.W. Shannon (R) and Attorney General Todd Blanche .

8-9 p.m. : Centers for Medicaid and Medicare Services Admin Dr. Mehmet Oz , Florida GOP Gov. Nominee Byron Donalds , GOP House nominees Jay Feely (Ariz.) and Mike Bouchard (Mich.), Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent , UFC fighters Bo Nickal and Justin Gaethje

RAISED EYEBROWS : The president on Tuesday criticized New York Magazine for its coverage of the president’s retelling of his experience during terrorist attacks.

Trump in a speech said he was near the U.S. Steel Building in New York City when two firefighters picked him up from the ground.

“Everything I said was exactly accurate and, to prove the point, I am attaching clips of me there with numerous of my people,” the president wrote on Truth Social.

CNN’s Daniel Dale with a good rundown of what we know about Trump’s 9/11 whereabouts.

The Ocean State will hold its Democratic gubernatorial primary today (yeah, Wednesday primary, weird), featuring a rematch between incumbent Gov. Dan McKee and former CVS executive Helena Foulkes .

The two Democrats previously faced off in 2022, with McKee edging Foulkes by 3 percentage points, but this year’s race appears to face a decent gap in the other direction, according to The Hill’s Caroline Vakil .

Troubled waters : A major highlight of the race is the slow reconstruction of Rhode Island’s westbound Washington Bridge.

Residents have grown frustrated over how long it has taken to rebuild the bridge after it was closed three years ago due to structural issues. Just about all fingers have been pointed at McKee for the slow process.

“I know there is a lot of frustration, and I accept it,” McKee told The New York Times. “But in the end, people are going to realize we did the right thing.”

Whoever wins Tuesday’s primary will be the heavy favorite in November against either Aaron Guckian or Elaine Pelino .

GOP gears up for fight in New Hampshire:

Rep. Chris Pappas (D-N.H.) and former Sen. John E. Sununu (R-N.H.) on Tuesday won their respective primary races to fill outgoing Sen. Jeanne Shaheen’s (D-N.H.) seat.

New Hampshire has not elected a Republican senator in more than 15 years, but recent polls have the GOP feeling hopeful about a potential flip.

“From now until November, SLF will spend every day highlighting John E. Sununu’s positive vision for New Hampshire while exposing the corruption, self-dealing, and radical record of Washington insider Chris Pappas,” said Republican-affiliated Senate Leadership Fund (SLF) Executive Director Alex Latcham in a Tuesday statement.

In April, SLF announced a $17 million reservation to boost Sununu after the primary, while Elon Musk’s America PAC has also spent in the race.

A University of New Hampshire (UNH) poll released Aug. 26, Sununu led Pappas 45 percent to 43 percent.

Senate dreams : Pappas departed his role representing New Hampshire’s 1st Congressional District, creating another competitive race in the Granite State.

Stefany Shaheen , daughter of Jeanne Shaheen, late last night defeated Democratic Party Vice Chair Maura Sullivan in the Democratic primary to replace Papas.

A day after the U.S. struck five Iranian oil tankers in the Gulf of Oman and near Kharg Island, Iran announced Wednesday that it targeted two U.S. vessels and eight oil tankers near the Strait of Hormuz.

The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) claimed that the U.S. vessels attempted to pass through a restricted area. Tehran also reportedly launched strikes on a U.S. base in Jordan.

Secretary of State Marco Rubio said U.S. forces will continue attacking tankers if Iran carries out additional strikes on American naval vessels.

⛽ What’s does this mean for oil and gas prices?: For the first time since July, oil prices reached over $100 a barrel in response to the continued strikes in the Middle East, with brent crude jumping about 3 percent, according to The Hill’s Finya Swai.

The price of regular gas also jumped overnight, rising 7 cents and increasing to a national average of $4.22, according to AAA.

On Sunday, when gas prices hit a record high heading into Labor Day, Energy Secretary Chris Wright said that prices were more likely to go down than up.

“But if you look at the futures market right now, what can you buy gasoline for two months in advance from where we are today? It’s down more than 30 cents a gallon from where it is today,” he said on CNN’s “State of the Union” with Dana Bush.

President Trump also brushed off the rise in oil prices Monday, saying they “will drop precipitously, like everything else is dropping,” when the Iran war ends.

Page Six reported on Tuesday that ABC will not be extending Jimmy Kimmel’s contract beyond 2027, putting an end to his show “Jimmy Kimmel Live.” But ABC pushed back, releasing a statement to The Hill Tuesday saying, “This information is inaccurate — any reports about the future of the show are purely speculative.”

The NCAA said it cannot overturn the result of Saturday’s controversial Western Michigan vs. Michigan game. Officials added one second to the game clock, which allowed Michigan to score a game-winning touchdown as time expired. MAC Commissioner Jon Steinbrecher asked the NCAA to declare Western Michigan “the actual winner.”

An account on the social platform X will post live updates on 9/11 as if the attacks were happening in real time to commemorate the 25th anniversary of the events. The account is called 2001 Live and curated by Manny Marotta .

President Trump gifted several White House aides — including special and executive assistant Natalie Harp — $45,000 cash gifts, according to financial disclosures released by the Trump administration.

Associated Press : Juror says 1 holdout refused to acquit Lindsay Clancy

Politico : French centrists struggle to find unity candidate as extremes surge in polls

New York Times : Travelers Face More Flight Delays After Major Air Traffic Disruption at UK Airports

CNN : At least 1 dead in Hawaii after Hurricane Lowell devastates parts of the state, governor says

The House and Senate are out. President Trump is heading to Dallas for the RNC midterm convention and will speak tonight. (All times EDT)

7:30 p.m. : Former President George W. Bush hosts 9/11 anniversary event

9:15 p.m. : Trump’s speech at the RNC midterm convention

🧸 Celebrate : Today is National Teddy Bear Day! Don’t be afraid to snuggle up with your childhood teddy bear tonight—or get yourself a new one.

🏈 The 2026-27 NFL season officially kicks off tonight in Seattle as the New England Patriots visit the Seahawks in a rematch of Super Bowl LX.

A zoo in South Bend, Ind. just welcomed a new red panda cub in June and wants the public to help pick a name! The deadline to pick a name is Sept. 18!

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