College football

Georgia voters are choosing a U.S. senator for the next six years, with incumbent Sen. Jon Ossoff (D) seeking a second term. Ossoff first won the seat in a narrow 2021 runoff over David Perdue, part of a cycle that flipped both of Georgia's Senate seats to Democrats alongside Raphael Warnock's win over Kelly Loeffler.

Republicans are seeking to reclaim the seat with Rep. Mike Collins, who beat Derek Dooley in the GOP primary runoff after Buddy Carter's earlier elimination. Georgia backed Trump in 2024 and has a Republican governor, but national trends and controversies around Collins have complicated the GOP's pickup hopes. Polls close at 7 p.m. EST.

President Trump attended the marquee Texas-Tennessee college football matchup in Knoxville, a sold-out, 100,000-strong showdown at Neyland Stadium billed as the teams' first meeting since 1969 and featuring ESPN's "College GameDay." His visit brought heightened security and road closures, and when he appeared on the video board about 20 minutes into the game, the crowd largely cheered, though some fans booed and one tailgate sidewalk was chalked with "Dump Trump."

The appearance came as Trump has faced hostile crowds at other major sporting events this year, including NBA Finals and World Cup matches, amid slumping approval ratings and GOP warnings of steep midterm losses. Several Trump voters in Knoxville voiced discomfort with his handling of the Iran war and his combative style, even as they praised other policies, while a transgender fan wore a suffragette-themed outfit as a protest statement. Many attendees, however, said the day was primarily about football rather than politics, with Sens. Bill Hagerty and Marsha Blackburn joining Trump for the game.

Mississippi Gov. Tate Reeves moved to clarify that the National Guard has not been deployed for Saturday's Ole Miss-LSU game, despite rumors circulating after his visit to the White House. Reeves' comments came amid heightened attention to the matchup, which marks Lane Kiffin's first return to Oxford since leaving Ole Miss for LSU after a contentious split.

Mississippi officials say security will be at an unprecedented level. State Public Safety Commissioner Sean Tindell said state troopers on hand will roughly triple from a typical game day, with coordination planned alongside Louisiana State Police. Reeves warned attendees against causing trouble, citing the largest combined state and local police presence in Oxford's history. The Mobile Police Department is also sending mounted officers to assist, though officials note this is part of a longstanding, routine partnership rather than a response to specific threats. Louisiana Gov. Jeff Landry joked about needing the Guard himself. Kiffin acknowledged real safety concerns are being addressed but downplayed the drama ahead of kickoff.

Bo French, the Republican nominee for Texas Railroad Commissioner, sparked bipartisan backlash after posting on social media about Asian American students cheering at a University of Texas football game following a comeback win over Ohio State, calling them "foreigners" and saying they showed how "Americans have been displaced by foreigners." Two students identified in the photo, Dhairya Gupta and Rahul Kodali, said they are U.S. citizens and called the post racist; Gupta said the incident showed racism "isn't looked down upon as much as it used to be." UT Austin enrollment data show international students make up less than 10% of the student body, with Asian students, mostly U.S. citizens or permanent residents, accounting for about 22.4% of enrollment. French has refused to delete the posts, denied regret when asked directly, and said "Truth sounds like hate to those who hate the truth," using the controversy for fundraising.

U.S. Sen. John Cornyn condemned the posts as racist, warning that tolerating such intolerance is "how great political parties self-destruct," and Rep. Dan Crenshaw also criticized French. Texas House Speaker Dustin Burrows and GOP representatives including Jared Patterson, Jeff Leach, Matt Shaheen, and Lacey Hull called on French to delete the posts, while former Speaker Dade Phelan called him "unfit for office." Gov. Greg Abbott said the message wasn't his but stopped short of directly condemning French, instead touting support for freezing H-1B visas at universities; he has since endorsed French, as has Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick. Attorney General Ken Paxton, facing a Senate primary challenge from Democrat James Talarico, deflected criticism onto Talarico rather than address French's remarks. French previously faced calls to resign as county chair over a poll on Jews versus Muslims.

Texas Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick posted an AI-generated campaign ad featuring imagery and traditions from the University of Texas, Texas A&M and Texas Tech, prompting questions over whether he had permission to use their trademarked names and symbols. The 50-second ad, shared to X on September 5, depicts Democratic candidates Vikki Goodwin, Gina Hinojosa and James Talarico in mocking scenarios set at simulated football games featuring each school's mascots and traditions. UT, Texas A&M and Texas Tech all restrict use of their trademarks in political advertising, and state law bars universities from using resources to support candidates. Officials from the three schools have not confirmed whether they authorized the ad's use of their branding, though a state lawmaker has asked the presidents to clarify. Patrick's campaign has not said whether it sought permission or disclosed the ad as AI-generated.

The episode highlights gaps in Texas's deepfake election law, which only applies within 30 days of an election and requires proving intent to deceive — a threshold experts say is difficult to meet and easily circumvented by early ad releases.

Texas Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick posted an apparent AI-generated campaign ad featuring imagery and traditions from the University of Texas, Texas A&M and Texas Tech to mock his Democratic opponents ahead of November's election. The 50-second ad, shared to X on Sept. 5, depicts Democratic lieutenant governor candidate Vikki Goodwin proposing new taxes at a simulated UT game, portrays Gina Hinojosa questioning Texas Tech fans' gun rights gestures, and shows U.S. Senate candidate James Talarico criticizing Texas A&M's "12th Man" tradition as "gendered." The ad had drawn over 907,000 views as of Friday.

All three universities restrict outside use of their trademarks, particularly in political contexts, and none confirmed to reporters whether Patrick had permission or whether the ad violated state rules barring public universities from supporting candidates. State Rep. Terry Canales has asked the schools to seek the ad's removal if unauthorized; only Texas A&M has responded so far. Patrick's campaign has not said whether it sought approval. Texas's existing deepfake law, which requires proving intent to deceive, only applies within 30 days of an election, leaving this ad unregulated. Goodwin has accused Patrick of using AI to misrepresent her.