Trump urges Texas Republicans to vote for Ken Paxton as four-term senator John Cornyn fights to hold seat – live


Here’s a recap of the day so far:

  • Trump urges Texas Republicans to vote for Ken Paxton in runoff election. As Texas heads to the polls for the primaries, Trump reminded his supporters to vote for Attorney General Paxton, who is running against John Cornyn, the incumbent.

  • Two Republican-led efforts to redraw congressional maps in Alabama and South Carolina hit setbacks. In Alabama, a federal court said the proposed map could not be used because it was drawn to intentionally discriminate against Black voters. The South Carolina Senate voted against redrawing the state’s congressional map due to political and administrative reasons.

  • Trump completes annual physical after year of public attention to health issues. Trump, the oldest inaugurated president in US history, completed a physical exam on Tuesday at Walter Reed national military medical center, amid questions around his health. “Everything checked out PERFECTLY,” the US president declared in a social media post.

  • Trump administration considers asking federal workers to sign NDAs. The goal of asking federal employees to sign nondisclosure agreements is to prevent them from sharing confidential information with journalists.

  • Iran says US broke ceasefire with overnight strikes, with impact on peace talks unclear. Further to that, while Donald Trump continues to insist that a peace deal is close, Iran has accused the United States of violating the ceasefire after conducting what the US called “self-defense” strikes overnight.

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Key events

Construction is under way on the White House lawn for a UFC arena that will host a cage-match next month to mark the United States’s 250th anniversary and Donald Trump’s 80th birthday. The mixed martial arts fight is planned for 14 June.

Equipment for a future UFC fight is being placed on the South Lawn in front of the White House, Tuesday, May 26, 2026, in Washington, as work continues on the construction of the ballroom, right, as seen from the Washington Monument. (AP Photo/Mark Schiefelbein) Photograph: Mark Schiefelbein/AP

Photos of cranes and other construction equipment on the White House lawn today show the beginnings of the temporary construction. Trump has said that the finished project will feature “a 5,000-seat arena right outside the front door of the White House.”

Trump first floated the idea of hosting a UFC fight on the White House grounds last year, during an appearance in Idaho on 4 July 2025 when he announced festivities planned to celebrate the United States’s 250th birthday on 4 July 2026.

“Think of this on the grounds of the White House. We have a lot of land there,” he said, originally adding that it would be a “full fight” with 20,000 to 25,000 people in attendance.

Equipment being placed on the South Lawn of the White House is seen from the Washington Monument, Tuesday, May 26, 2026, in Washington. The UFC is holding a mixed martial arts fight on June 14 as part of America 250 celebrations. (AP Photo/Mark Schiefelbein) Photograph: Mark Schiefelbein/AP

In December, Trump said the White House event would host “eight or nine championship fights – the biggest fights they’ve ever had.” But like the size of the crowd, the number of fights expected to be held on the White House lawn has shrunk. The fight card includes two title fights: a lightweight championship fight between Ilia Topuria and Justin Gaethje in the main event, and an interim heavyweight title fight between Alex Pereira and Ciryl Gane.

Trump has long been a fan of mixed martial arts, and is close friends with Dana White, the UFC’s president.

As construction began on the White House lawn, competitors at the Scripps National Spelling Bee navigated around it Tuesday. After 15 years at a convention center in Maryland, the spelling bee was relocated to Washington DC’s Constitution Hall. Families staying at the nearby J.W. Marriott would usually walk across the Ellipse to reach the hall, but with construction ongoing there, families are making a longer trek around. The parent of one speller, Rajeev Malhotra, described the scene as “two very disparate forms of entertainment.”

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