NATIONAL NEWS

2024 Election Latest: Trump to speak at RNC as convention enters fourth day, Biden has COVID-19

Jul 18, 2024, 4:24 AM | Updated: 9:16 pm

Republican presidential candidate former President Donald Trump talks to Sen. Marco Rubio during th...

Republican presidential candidate former President Donald Trump talks to Sen. Marco Rubio during the Republican National Convention Wednesday, July 17, 2024, in Milwaukee. (AP Photo/Charles Rex Arbogast)
Credit: ASSOCIATED PRESS

(AP Photo/Charles Rex Arbogast)

The Republican National Convention culminates Thursday with former President Donald Trump expected to accept the party’s presidential nomination, achieving a comeback four years in the making and anticipated even more in the past week in light of Saturday’s assassination attempt.

He is expected to accept his third consecutive party nod in prime time before thousands of supporters at Fiserv Forum in Milwaukee. Trump’s running mate JD Vance addressed the same crowd on Wednesday.

Trump’s election opponent, President Joe Biden, tested positive for COVID-19 while traveling Wednesday in Las Vegas and is experiencing “mild symptoms” including “general malaise” from the infection, the White House said.

Follow the AP’s Election-2024 coverage at: https://apnews.com/hub/election-2024

Here’s the Latest:

It was (sort of) JD Vance’s night … but it’s still Trump’s convention

The third nights of conventions are traditionally about the running mate and how they round out a presidential ticket. Certainly, Vance has become a presence at the convention — mentions from the podium, his name now on signs together with Trump, appearances with the former president on the first two nights of the convention.

But Trump is a dominant figure — even when measured against other U.S. presidents and world leaders. Pick any speaker Wednesday and their most passionate pitches were not about “Donald Trump and JD Vance.” They were about Trump.

“This is a man I know and the president we need for four more years,” said Kellyanne Conway, a former Trump adviser. “He will always stand up for you.”

Trump’s former White House physician, Rep. Ronny Jackson of Texas, called Trump “the greatest president this country has ever had” and “a president who even took a bullet for our country.”

It’s Trump’s party and his alone. No running mate can change that, especially not a freshman senator who has yet to celebrate his 40th birthday.

▶ Read the AP’s takeaways from night 3 of the RNC.

Day 3 of the convention has ended

The convention is gaveling out after a benediction from Rev. Packy Thompson of Houma, Lousiana.

Thompson thanked God for Trump. “I also thank you for protecting him from the evil that was perpetrated last Saturday,” he said.

And the gathering is adjourned until Thursday.

Biden campaign issues a blistering statement immediately following Vance’s speech

“Tonight, J.D. Vance, the poster boy for Project 2025, took center stage. But it’s working families and the middle class who will suffer if he’s allowed to stay there,” Michael Tyler, Biden campaign communication director, said.

“Backed by Silicon Valley and the billionaires who bought his vice presidential selection, Vance is Project 2025 in human form – an agenda that puts extremism and the ultra wealthy over our democracy.”

Vance ends VP nomination speech: ‘I will give you everything I have’

Vance made a pledge to voters: “I pledge to every American, no matter your party, I will give you everything I have.”

He added, “To serve you and to make this country a place where every dream you have for yourself, your family and your country will be possible once again.”

After the speech, Vance’s extended family flooded the stage to an unusual song for a Republican convention – Fleetwood Mac’s “Don’t Stop Thinking About Tomorrow.”

The song became a political staple in 1992 when a very different young politician from a humble background ran for national office. That was Bill Clinton, who is, of course, a Democrat.

National News

Associated Press

Suspected shooter and four others are found dead in three Kansas homes, police say

WICHITA, Kan. (AP) — Five people were found shot to death inside three homes in the same area of Wichita, Kansas, and police believe the shootings are connected. Police Chief Joe Sullivan said one of the people found dead Sunday was the suspected shooter, but he declined to elaborate. Police believe all five knew each […]

15 minutes ago

This image taken from video provided by WSFA shows people standing near the scene of an earlier sho...

Associated Press

Man killed in Tuskegee University shooting in Alabama is identified. 16 others were hurt

The man killed in a homecoming weekend shooting at Tuskegee University has been identified as 18-year-old La’Tavion Johnson, of Troy, Alabama, the local coroner said Monday. The shooting injured 16 other people, a dozen of them by gunfire, authorities said. One arrest was announced hours later. Many of the injured were students, but Johnson was […]

51 minutes ago

Russian President Vladimir Putin listens to a question during a meeting with foreign policy experts...

Associated Press

Kremlin rejects reports of a conversation last week between Putin and Trump

The Kremlin on Monday rejected reports that President Vladimir Putin spoke last week with President-elect Donald Trump about the war in Ukraine, and a spokesman for Trump refused to comment on what he called his “private calls” with world leaders. The Washington Post first reported on Sunday, citing anonymous sources, that the two spoke on […]

1 hour ago

This image provided by the U.S. Coast Guard shows a cruise ship rescuing people from a disabled cat...

Associated Press

Cruise ship rescues 4 from disabled catamaran hundreds of miles off Bermuda, officials say

ELIZABETH CITY, N.C. (AP) — A cruise ship rescued four people from a disabled catamaran that was taking on water hundreds of miles (kilometers) off the coast of Bermuda on Sunday, officials said. The disabled 50-foot catamaran, the Serenity, was about 265 miles (426 kilometers) off the coast of Bermuda, when its escape hatch blew […]

1 hour ago

FILE - People walk near the logo of Honda Motor Company at a showroom on Feb. 8, 2022, in Tokyo. (A...

Associated Press

Engines on 1.4 million Honda vehicles might fail, so US regulators open an investigation

DETROIT (AP) — The U.S. government’s highway safety agency is investigating complaints that engines can fail on as many as 1.4 million Honda and Acura vehicles. The probe by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration covers the 2016 through 2020 Honda Pilot and Acura MDX, as well as the 2018 through 2020 Honda Odyssey and […]

2 hours ago

FILE - Lights shine inside the U.S. Capitol Building as night falls on Jan. 21, 2018, in Washington...

Associated Press

The Latest: Less than 20 races to be called as control of Congress hangs in the balance

Control over the U.S. House of Representatives still hangs in the balance, teetering between a Republican or Democratic majority with less than 20 races left to be called. Follow the AP’s Election 2024 coverage at: https://apnews.com/hub/election-2024. Here’s the latest: Trump has chosen New York Rep. Elise Stefanik as to serve as ambassador to the United […]

2 hours ago

2024 Election Latest: Trump to speak at RNC as convention enters fourth day, Biden has COVID-19