The spectacle on the South Lawn is here: President Donald Trump’s UFC event is being held at the White House.
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The action kicks off at 8 p.m. ET with seven fights, including a main event lightweight title bout between champion Ilia Topuria and interim champion Justin Gaethje.
Watching just feet away will be the president, members of his administration, VIPs and thousands of active military members. NBC News is live in Washington, D.C., to cover all the action from one of the most unique sporting events ever.
Ahead of the UFC fight card on the White House lawn, thousands descended on Washington to celebrate the sport and the country’s birthday.
Poll: America at 250 is riven with doubt and pessimism — but with glimmers of hope
Americans have a bleak outlook on the nation’s future ahead of its 250th birthday next month, with most saying the U.S. has already seen its best days and a record-low number saying they are extremely proud to be Americans, according to a new NBC News poll.
Overall, the survey — sponsored by More Perfect, a nonpartisan nonprofit — shows that Americans believe their country has achieved many of the goals of its founders, but it is now falling short in living up to certain central tenets of the democratic experiment.
Among adults, 78% say the American dream is further out of reach than it was a generation ago. They also have little faith in their institutions — including the federal government, the news media and the high-tech industry. Even the military, which ranks the highest, has seen a pronounced drop in support.
For the first time in the poll’s history, a majority — 52% — say they have “very little” confidence or “none at all” in the federal government. In 2016, that figure was 34%.
The fight for Congress
Trump’s poor approval rating (42%, the lowest mark of his second term in NBC News surveys) continues to weigh down his party ahead of the midterms. Though the GOP has a slim measure of separation from the president, Democrats hold a five-point lead in the battle for control of Congress.
Among registered voters, 49% say they prefer to see Democrats control Congress as a result of this year’s elections, compared to 44% who prefer Republican control and 7% who are unsure.
Politics in brief
- D.C.’s face-lift: Through war, inflation and sinking approval ratings, the president has devoted outsize energy to construction projects around Washington.
- He likes Mike: Trump endorsed GOP Rep. Mike Collins in the Georgia Senate race, giving the two-term congressman a last-minute boost ahead of Tuesday’s primary runoff.
- A different kind of redaction: A Kennedy Center official told a judge that all references to Trump inside, outside and online have been removed from the performing arts venue.
Qatari negotiators fly to Tehran in a push to finalize U.S.-Iran deal
An effort is underway to finalize a U.S.-Iran deal to end the war and reopen the Strait of Hormuz, but the push to finalize a memorandum of understanding was rattled by fresh Israeli strikes Sunday on Lebanon’s capital.
Trump said in a post on Truth Social that the strikes on Beirut “should not have happened, particularly on a special day when we are so close to a Peace Deal with Iran.”
In coordination with the United States, Qatari negotiators flew to Tehran to help facilitate the finalization of the agreement, a source with knowledge of the situation told NBC News.
On NBC News’ “Meet the Press,” Sen. James Lankford, R-Okla., told moderator Kristen Welker “it is best” if Congress votes to ratify any potential deal to end the war in Iran, saying that a deal approved by Congress would have a more “lasting effect.”
House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., said in a separate “Meet the Press” interview that he would need to see the deal before committing to support it. “At this point in time, all we can conclude is that this reckless and costly war of choice has been a disaster,” Jeffries said.
Knicks beat Spurs for first NBA title in 53 years
The New York Knicks are NBA champions.
It is a sentence that had not been written in 53 years. But Saturday in Texas, the Knicks ended more than a half-century of waiting by closing out San Antonio, 94-90, in five games for New York’s third NBA title and first since 1973.
“Sorry it took so long!” Knicks owner James Dolan said with the entire roster behind him and the Larry O’Brien trophy just feet away.
Despite being largely boxed out of tickets, Knicks fans arrived in droves in Texas’ Hill Country, where they watched Jalen Brunson lead New York to a 16-point comeback to clinch the title. Though it was a close game, Victor Wembanyama and the Spurs made late-game mistakes that will surely follow the franchise into the offseason.
The Knicks’ championship shattered two long-held NBA assumptions: that a franchise that struggled for so long lacked the ability to reach the top of the league again, and that a team built around a 6-foot-2 point guard could not win in a sport historically dominated by giants.
Notable quote
Not everything goes perfect in football. And when it doesn’t, you have to accept criticism and you have to do better. And that’s what we’ll do.
Carlo Ancelotti, Brazil manager
After Brazil fought back for a 1-1 draw against Morocco in both teams’ World Cup opener, manager Carlo Ancelotti faced harsh criticism from both fans and media for failing to beat an Atlas Lions team that finished fourth at the 2022 tournament.
More World Cup
- Curaçao celebrated its first-ever World Cup goal, but Germany cruised to a 7-1 rout.
- Scotland earned its first World Cup victory since 1990 with a 1-0 win over Haiti.
- A stoppage-time header earned Qatar its first ever World Cup point in a 1-1 draw with Switzerland.
- Australia spoiled Turkey’s 24-year wait to return to the World Cup with a 2-0 victory.
In case you missed it
- British forces intercepted a Russian shadow fleet oil tanker, its Ministry of Defense said, in the latest effort to disrupt Moscow’s sanctions-evasion network.
- All 12 people on board a skydiving plane that crashed Sunday shortly after takeoff in Butler, Missouri, are presumed dead, according to Missouri State Highway Patrol.
- Two helicopters collided Sunday over Rio de Janeiro, killing all six people aboard, firefighters said.
- The pilot of a military fighter jet escaped with minor injuries after he ejected from the aircraft before it crashed into a Washington state mountain, authorities said.
- Aldon Smith, the troubled but talented pass rusher whose promising career was derailed by legal problems, died at 36.