Melania Trump makes surprise appearance in Milwaukee

3.40 am: Former wrestling star Hulk Hogan warms up the crowd at the Republican National Convention in Milwaukee. The 70-year-old tore off his black shirt emblazoned with an American flag to thunderous applause and revealed a bright red muscle shirt emblazoned with the words “Trump – Vance 2024”. Read more here.

3.30 am: Right-wing talk show host Tucker Carlson criticized US aid to Russia-hit Ukraine at the Republican convention. “You don’t see our president proposing to use our military to protect our country or the lives of our citizens — no, that’s for Ukraine,” the former Fox News anchor said in Milwaukee. “It’s an extended middle finger to every American.”

The talk show host, who is close to Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump, made headlines in early February when he conducted an interview with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Moscow. In the interview, the Kremlin leader was questioned at length by an American interviewer for the first time since the war began. Carlson, known for spreading hoaxes and conspiracy theories, did not question Putin’s lengthy comments. Critics have already identified that as the reason Putin gave the nearly 127-minute interview to The American.

2.40 am: Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump arrives in the hall on the fourth day of the Republican National Convention. He is set to give his first public speech since his assassination attempt.

Laura Trump, the candidate’s niece and co-chair of the Republican National Committee, said the attack prompted Trump to revise his speech and emphasize unity. “I don’t think you can go through what he went through on Saturday, a near-death experience, without repercussions,” Laura Trump said.

Democratic Party Vice President Kamala Harris said at a campaign rally in North Carolina that the call for unity was not credible as Trump continued to refuse to admit defeat in the 2020 election. “We’re too busy watching what you’re doing to hear what you’re saying,” Harris said.