As if there was any doubt, Republicans’ midterm convention will be the Donald Trump show, with the president appearing at both nights of the event in Dallas next month.
Trump and Vice President JD Vance are both set to headline respective nights, with Vance to speak on Wednesday night and Trump on Thursday.
The unusual gathering, aimed at promoting the party's candidates and the Trump administration's agenda, is being billed by the Republican National Convention as “a primetime showcase for President Trump’s success, candidates, and causes that have propelled the 2026 midterms to unprecedented focus.”
Throughout the event, Republicans, who are grappling with an unpopular president, stubbornly high prices, an unpopular war and surging Democratic enthusiasm, are expected to try to paint the opposing party as radically left by highlighting Democratic socialist candidates who have been surging this year.
Candidate showcases will be held each night from 6 to 7 p.m. to introduce candidates running in competitive races.
The first night will include segments focused on tax cuts, healthcare affordability, the border, trade and domestic manufacturing, with appearances by "workers and everyday Americans.”
The second will highlight families benefiting from policies like no taxes on tips, overtime, and Social Security, as well as overseas prisoners who have been released, border security, efforts to lower prescription drug costs, and a tribute to slain conservative activist Charlie Kirk.
It will also include a segment marking the 25th anniversary of the 9/11 attacks with the families of first responders.
There was no mention in the advisory of any programming related to foreign policy nor the unpopular war in Iran.
The convention will also try to appeal to the “MAHA” — or Make America Healthy Again — wing of the party, with segments like one entitled, “Chronic Disease & Corporate Capture: Breaking the hold of corporate interests on public health agencies and empowering families to Make America Healthy Again.”
Several will promote bans on stock trading by members of Congress — a measure Trump has backed, even as he has faced repeated accusations of profiting from the presidency.
“Over two action-packed days, we will take Americans through the defining issues of our Party’s agenda and what is at stake in November,” RNC Chairman Joe Gruters said in a statement announcing the plans.
President Donald Trump is pictured during the playing of the national anthem at the IndyCar Freedom 250 Grand Prix auto race, Sunday, Aug. 23, 2026, in Washington. (Doug Mills/The New York Times via AP, Pool)
NEW YORK (AP) — Serena Williams getting back on the court at the U.S. Open after a four-year absence and Carlos Alcaraz returning to competitive tennis after being out the past four months with injury brought cheers and nostalgia to the Grand Slam tournament.
The celebration was short-lived.
After winning their debut playing together, Williams and Alcaraz got knocked out in the mixed doubles quarterfinals by Belinda Bencic and Flavio Cobolli 5-4 (4), 4-1 on Tuesday. Cobolli before the match called their opponents “the queen of tennis and the king of now.”
The star-studded duo with a combined eight U.S. Open singles championships certainly earned that praise. Williams and Alcaraz bounced back from a slow start in the first round to defeat Erin Routliffe and Lloyd Glasspool 5-3, 4-1, much to the delight of fans inside Arthur Ashe Stadium who were clearly on their side.
“I never expected to be back on this court,” Williams said after her first match at Flushing Meadows since 2022. “I never thought this would happen.”
Now the question is whether she will seek an encore performance in women's doubles alongside older sister Venus. They won the U.S. Open twice among their 14 Grand Slam doubles titles together.
Serena, who is back playing tennis at age 44, does not plan to play singles.
Williams in her latest mixed doubles cameo — she won the U.S. Open with Max Mirnyi in 1998 — hit some vintage shots that looked straight out of her prime. Early on, she carried Alcaraz, the 23-year-old defending champion who's ranked third in the world in men’s singles and was clearly rusty in his first competitive action since April 14.
“I think everybody could see: I double-faulted on the first point,” said Alcaraz, who missed the French Open and Wimbledon because of a right wrist injury and wore a sleeve on that arm. “I was really, really nervous. I was out for four months ... I almost forget how it feels.”
Fans chanted, “Come on, Carlos!” and “Let's go, Serena, let's go!” But the pair was overpowered by Bencic and Cobolli, letting a first-set tiebreaker slip away and getting dominated in the second.
Cobolli acknowledged being tight because Williams and Alcaraz were on the other side. Bencic said Williams tried to intimidate her — by saying she speaks Italian better.
“It was surreal to play against Carlos,” Bencic said. “Sometimes I was just standing at the volley or the return, and I was like, ‘How did I end up on this court?’ I don’t really know. Just a huge honor. Obviously you can feel both of their auras.”
The matches in the first three rounds feature sets to four games, with a tiebreaker at 4-all and a 10-point tiebreaker instead of a third set. Only the final on Wednesday night will resemble a regular match, with traditional sets to six games.
The champions get $1 million in the second year of the new mixed doubles format that is meant to attract top players. Joining Bencic and Cobolli in the semifinals were Elina Svitolina and Gael Monfils; Mirra Andreeva and Andrey Rublev; and Karolina Muchova and Jakub Mensik.
See AP’s full tennis coverage here
Serena Williams, of the United States, hits the ball during a mixed doubles match at the U.S. Open tennis championships, Tuesday, Aug. 25, 2026, in New York. (AP Photo/Sydney Schaefer)
Serena Williams, of the United States, and Carlos Alcaraz, of Spain, react during a mixed doubles match at the U.S. Open tennis championships, Tuesday, Aug. 25, 2026, in New York. (AP Photo/Yuki Iwamura)
Serena Williams, of the United States, and Carlos Alcaraz, of Spain, return the ball during a mixed doubles match at the U.S. Open tennis championships, Tuesday, Aug. 25, 2026, in New York. (AP Photo/Yuki Iwamura)
Carlos Alcaraz, of Spain, left, and Serena Williams, of the United States, react during a mixed doubles match at the U.S. Open tennis championships, Tuesday, Aug. 25, 2026, in New York. (AP Photo/Yuki Iwamura)
Serena Williams, of the United States, reacts during a mixed doubles match at the U.S. Open tennis championships, Tuesday, Aug. 25, 2026, in New York. (AP Photo/Yuki Iwamura)
Carlos Alcaraz, of Spain, left, and Serena Williams, of the United States, talk on the court during a mixed doubles match at the U.S. Open tennis championships, Tuesday, Aug. 25, 2026, in New York. (AP Photo/Yuki Iwamura)
Serena Williams, of the United States, returns the ball during a mixed doubles match at the U.S. Open tennis championships, Tuesday, Aug. 25, 2026, in New York. (AP Photo/Yuki Iwamura)
Serena Williams, of the United States, and Carlos Alcaraz, of Spain, high-five during a mixed doubles match at the U.S. Open tennis championships, Tuesday, Aug. 25, 2026, in New York. (AP Photo/Yuki Iwamura)
Carlos Alcaraz, of Spain, left, and Serena Williams, of the United States, high-five during a mixed doubles match at the U.S. Open tennis championships, Tuesday, Aug. 25, 2026, in New York. (AP Photo/Yuki Iwamura)
