Mike Lee

Vivek Ramaswamy's campaign confirmed it produced the controversial ad featuring Dr. Amy Acton's long-estranged mother, Donna Arthur, who calls her daughter "a liar." The campaign is spending $4 million to run the ad statewide and has declined to pull it despite bipartisan condemnation. Acton's brother says the siblings were removed from their mother's custody as children after their stepfather was indicted for raping Acton between ages 9 and 12. Gov. Mike DeWine called the ad "deeply, deeply troubling" and urged Ramaswamy to take it down while keeping his endorsement; Sen. Jon Husted and former Rep. Jim Renacci also criticized it, warning of a GOP backlash. VP JD Vance dismissed the outcry as "whining," and President Trump defended Ramaswamy, calling the mother's hostility "unusual." Acton leads polling in a race drawing over $120 million in outside spending.

A bipartisan bill aimed at preventing presidents from demolishing presidential memorials, including the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, was blocked in the Senate on Monday after Sen. Mike Lee, R-Utah, objected to a unanimous consent request, offering no public explanation. The bill, introduced by Sen. Jeff Merkley, D-Ore., and co-sponsored by Sens. Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, Jack Reed, Sheldon Whitehouse and Chris Van Hollen, would have required congressional approval before demolishing any presidential memorial designated by Congress. On the floor, Merkley accused Trump of wanting the building destroyed if he could not rename it after himself, framing the bill as a defense of the rule of law and separation of powers.

The effort follows weeks of turmoil at the Kennedy Center after a judge ruled twice that Trump could not attach his name to the building, prompting a brief closure and renewed demolition threats from Trump, who cited disrepair. A leaked photo showed Trump holding a sign reading "Kennedy Center DEMOLISH." A judge has since ordered any changes to the center be disclosed to the court 30 days in advance. Trump has floated replacing the venue with an outdoor amphitheater, while Rep. Joyce Beatty's lawsuit against renaming or destroying the center continues.

Utah Gov. Spencer Cox has designated Sept. 10 as "Charlie Kirk Day," marking one year since the conservative activist was fatally shot while speaking at Utah Valley University in Orem. Cox's official declaration says the day honors Kirk's legacy of civil discourse while rejecting political violence. Utah Sens. Mike Lee and John Curtis, Rep. Mike Kennedy, and Arizona Rep. Andy Biggs offered tributes praising Kirk's advocacy for free speech, and the White House called him "a fearless patriot" whose influence "changed the course of American history."

Turning Point USA, the organization Kirk founded in 2012 and now led by his widow Erika Kirk, held a memorial event, "Freedom Built to Last: Honoring Charlie Kirk," at UVU's UCCU Center Thursday evening, featuring commentators Michael Knowles and Glenn Beck. A separate memorial formed outside TPUSA's Phoenix headquarters, and President Trump honored Kirk at the RNC's midterm convention in Dallas.

Tyler Robinson, accused of shooting Kirk, faces trial on seven charges including aggravated murder, which carries potential death penalty eligibility under Utah law. A judge has ruled he will stand trial on all counts; Robinson has pleaded not guilty.