Social media users are calling for Fox News to fire host Tucker Carlson after the presenter said the 17-year-old accused of killing two protesters in Kenosha, Wisconsin was trying to "maintain order".

In a segment on his programme Tucker Carlson Tonight, Mr Carlson said: "How shocked are we that 17-year-olds with rifles decided they had to maintain order when no one else would?"

He also suggested the teen, who police have identified as Kyle Rittenhouse, could have been acting in self-defence. Police say he has been arrested on suspicion of first-degree murder.

"At one point, the 17-year-old who has now been charged tried to run from the mob. He tripped and fell in the middle of the street. A man ran up and smashed him in the head with a skateboard. The 17-year-old then fired his gun... So, what does that amount to? We're unsure, a court will decide whether what you just saw qualifies as self-defence."

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Iowa Senator Joni Ernst is about to speak.

Americans may remember her from her 2014 campaign ad about "castrating hogs" that took the nation by storm.

“I grew up castrating hogs on an Iowa farm” she declared, looking straight into the camera. She promised to bring the same skills to "cut pork" - a political term meaning to rein in public spending - to Washington, vowing to “make ’em squeal”.

The former lieutenant colonel spent 23 years in the military. Her daughter, Libby, is currently studying at the West Point Military Academy.

Ernst herself is facing re-election in November, and her home state of Iowa is expected to be a battleground in the presidential election.

Sister Deirdre Byrne has been speaking just now, making the case for Donald Trump on his pro-life credentials. The nun is also a surgeon and retired US Army colonel.

"As followers of Christ, we are called to stand up for life," she says. "Donald Trump is the most pro-life president that this country has ever had."

"President Trump will stand up against Biden and Harris, who are the most anti-life presidential ticket, ever."

These are bold claims. So what has Donald Trump accomplished with abortion since taking office?

Trump became the first sitting president to attend the anti-abortion March for Life rally earlier this year.

He has often touted his appointments of conservative judges across US courts, including the Supreme Court, which has given some anti-abortion activists hope that federal abortion protections could one day be overturned.

He’s banned federal funding from going to clinics that provide or refer abortions, reinstated a policy that bans sending tax money to foreign organisations offering abortions, and exempted many employers from a requirement to provide free birth control.

But it feels like a lot of talk to some anti-abortion supporters.

Destiny Herndon-De La Rosa, an anti-abortion feminist, told the BBC that abortion seemed "conspicuously absent" from his second term agenda.

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Michael "Mick" McHale National President of the National Association of Police Organizations is up now, making a powerful law and order pitch for the Trump/Biden ticket.

The retired Florida police officer speaks amid a wave of protests in Wisconsin - some of which have turned violent - following the shooting of Jacob Blake, a black man, by a police officer.

And amid a nationwide reckoning over police brutality, McHale delivers a staunch defence of police officers in the US.

“I’m proud that the overwhelming majority of American police officers are the best of the best,” he says. “And good officers need to know their elected leaders and the department have their backs.”

"Unfortunately, chaos results when failed officials in cities like Portland, Minneapolis, Chicago, and New York make the conscious decision not to support law enforcement," he says, calling the Democratic candidates "the most anti-police ticket in history."

Jane O'Brien
BBC News, Washington DC

So far we've had much of the same as we've had over the last two nights: an outline of just how dystopian America would become under a Biden presidency. Not much of the uplifting talk we were promised earlier.

What's going to be interesting is how the events of Wisconsin shape the speech of Vice-President Mike Pence when he takes to the podium later tonight.

We understand he was going to be focusing on law and order and the president's economic achievements, but what is happening in Wisconsin will possibly burst the convention bubble that we've been in for the last two days. It hasn't been explicitly mentioned up until now, except with reference to a general breakdown in law and order - neither has the pandemic.

American networks are showing images of cities on fire, and this is a very powerful image for people in rural areas of the US.

When people cast their ballot on 3 November, it will all come down to what they ultimately believe. Do they believe the Republican version of an America going up in flames? Or do they believe the Democrat version of an America that will be unhinged with four more years of Trump?

Some advanced excerpts from Vice-President Mike Pence's speech are out now, in which he praises Trump's demeanour when the cameras are off, slams the "swamp in Washington" and casts the president as a defender of law and order.

Here's what he'll be saying when he speaks later tonight:

"Over the past four years, I've worked closely with our president. I've seen him when the cameras are off.

"Americans see President Trump in lots of different ways, but there's no doubt how President Trump sees America.

"He sees America for what it is; a nation that has done more good in this world than any other a nation, that deserves far more gratitude than grievance; and if you want a president who falls silent when our heritage is demeaned or insulted, then he's not your man."

In a nod to the calls for racial justice leading to protests around the nation, he is expected to say: "The American people know we don't have to choose between supporting law enforcement, and standing with African-American neighbours to improve the quality of life in our cities and towns.

"From the first days of this administration, we have done both. And we will keep doing both for four more years in the White House."

Anthony Zurcher
BBC North America reporter

The third night of the Republican National Convention is underway, with the theme billed as “America, Land of Heroes”. Almost every speaker has touched on the idea of American heroism so far. Texas Congressman Dan Crenshaw, who fought and was injured in Afghanistan, spoke of the fellow soldier who save his life – and later died in action.

Keith Kellogg, a retired general and national security advisor to Vice-President Pence, talked about his service in Vietnam and his experience working the White House. Others made references to America’s founding fathers, women’s suffragette activists, health-care workers, truckers and loggers.

Political conventions – both Democratic and Republican – tend to wrap themselves in heroic themes, although their definitions of the word frequently differ. Americans will have plenty of opportunity to think about what constitutes heroism in the coming days - as a massive hurricane bears down on the US Gulf Coast, fires rage in California and tensions over a police shooting persist in Wisconsin, prompting professional basketball and baseball athletes to stage walkouts in solidarity.

While the Republican Convention aired, Fox New host Tucker Carlson showed a photograph of Kyle Rittenhouse, who was arrested earlier in the day for shooting protesters in Wisconsin last night, and said: “How shocked are we that 17-year-olds with rifles decided they had to maintain order when no one else would?”

Heroes can come in different forms – and in America’s sharply divided politics one person’s hero is another’s villain.

Two people were shot dead on Tuesday night in Kenosha, Wisconsin, a city already wracked by violence following the shooting of a black man by police. The BBC's Aleem Maqbool says security forces are being criticised for losing control.

As we listen to the Republican convention, Democratic former US President Barack Obama has just tweeted his support for the boycott of NBA games tonight in response to the shooting dead of Jacob Blake in Wisconsin.

Image source, Getty Images

Senior counsellor to the president Kellyanne Conway begins her remarks by noting that 2020 is the centennial anniversary of American women being granted the right to vote.

"This has been a century worth celebrating, but also a reminder that our democracy is young and fragile. A woman in a leadership role still can seem novel," she says.

"Not so for President Trump. For decades, he has elevated women to senior positions in business and in government. He confides in and consults us, respects our opinions, and insists that we are on equal footing with the men."

She also says she has seen Trump empathise with struggling Americans, including those suffering from opioid addiction.

She continues: “'Don’t lose hope' he has told them, assuring them that they are not alone, that we see them, we hear them and that we are here to help them.

"There always will be people who have far more than us. Our responsibility is to focus on those who have far less than us.

Conway's remarks come as she is due to leave the White House amid tensions over political disagreements in her family that have played out in the public eye. Her husband, George Conway, is a vocal Trump critic, and her teenage daughter has denounced Trump.

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Up now is Karen Pence, speaking about the role of military families, particularly spouses. She says she has been "inspired" by military wives she has met whilst serving as Second Lady.

"The Pence's are a military family," she says, before paying tribute to America's military heroes.

She then pivots to a political pitch, saying that to vote for Trump and Pence is to "honour" the US miltary.

Here are some things you should know about Karen Pence:

The devout Evangelicals reportedly met in the parking lot outside of Indianapolis' St. Thomas Aquinas Church in 1983. Their first meeting went well - she's called it "love at first sight" - and she was so sure of their relationship, she began carrying a gold cross with the word "Yes" engraved on it for when he proposed.

The two have been married for 35 years.

Pence has had some practice as a political spouse, seeing her husband through his time in the US House of Representatives and as Indiana's governor.

While Indiana's first lady, Pence started a towel charm business called "That's My Towel!" - meant to help beachgoers keep track of their towels. She shuttered the company when her husband joined Trump's campaign in 2016.

The former teacher and occasional artist joined her husband on almost every stop on the campaign trail in 2016, and has spoken of the importance of keeping her family together through the vice-presidents political journey.

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White House Press Secretary Kayleigh McEnany has taken the stage and is giving one of the most personal and affecting pitches for Trump of the convention so far.

"You may know me as a supporter of President Trump, but I'm here to share with you how he supported me," she says.

She is sharing her story of undergoing a preventative mastectomy due to a pre-existing condition.

After surgery, she says, the first call she received was from Trump's daughter, Ivanka. The second, she says, was Trump.

"President Trump fights for the American people because she fights for stories like these," she says.

McEnany assumed her post as press secretary in April, but has been an outspoken advocate for the Trump for years.

A graduate of Harvard Law School, and former CNN contributor, Ms McEnany has made headlines for her passionate defences of the president. She worked for the Trump campaign before moving to the White House this year.

Image source, Reuters/Getty Images

US President Donald Trump has said that he and his Democratic challenger Joe Biden should each submit to drug tests before their first debate next month.

In an interview with the Washington Examiner newspaper, Trump said he had noticed a sudden improvement in Biden's performance in the Democratic primary debates, suggesting that his rival was helped by drugs.

The president offered no evidence other than to say: "I'm pretty good at this stuff."

Trump and Biden will have three debates before the 3 November election.

It's not the first time Trump has challenged a presidential contender to a drugs test. He did so in 2016 with Democrat rival Hilary Clinton, suggesting she had been "getting pumped up" before their debates. The Clinton camp brushed his challenge aside.

Read more here.

We're hearing now from former interim National Security Director Keith Kellogg, who is praising Trump's foreign policy decisions and saying he kept his promise to pursue America's enemies both in trade and on the battlefield.

"I have witnessed every major foreign policy and national security decision by the president I have been in the room where it happened.

"I saw only one agenda and one guiding question when tough calls had to be made. Is this decision right for America?"

The retired general took over as interim National Security Director at the White House when Michael Flynn quit after admitting to lying to Mike Pence about his discussions with the Russian ambassador to Washington.

In April 2018, Kellogg - a longtime Army veteran who served in the Vietnam War - was named national security advisor to Mike Pence.

In 2003, he served as director of operations for the Coalition Provisional Authority after the US invasion of Iraq.

"I'm the guy who's supposed to make the trains run on time," he told The Baltimore Sun, external. "The reconstruction of Germany and the reconstruction of Japan, most of that was done by a lot of military, because we're used to that."

Image source, Getty Images

Houston Republican Dan Crenshaw is speaking now, claiming one of tonight's prime speaking slots to talk about 'American greatness'.

Before running for office in 2018, the congressman served 10 years as a Navy SEAL - one of the most revered groups in the US military.

On a deployment in 2012, Crenshaw lost his right eye in an explosion. It led him to a brief brush with pop culture fame in 2018, when Saturday Night Live comic Pete Davidson joked about Crenshaw's eye patch.

Crenshaw eventually made a surprise appearance on the show, and accepted an on-air apology from Davidson.

The 36-year-old is the youngest Republican in the House of Representatives - tied with fellow Republican Elise Stefanik - and has drawn attention for his social-media savvy, posting pictures and videos of himself, his dog, and workout routines.

Seen as a rising Republican star, he has been an outspoken Trump ally, defending the president's foreign policy and coronavirus response. However, he is under pressure this election as he faces a Democratic challenge - his seat is one of ten the party is actively trying to flip.

Tara McKelvey
BBC News, Washington

Image source, Getty Images

When it comes to the US election, people in Moscow and Beijing have views, just as people in this country do.

Chinese and Russian citizens do not have a vote, however, and US intelligence officials are working hard to make sure that their governments do not influence the electoral outcomes here, either.

A senior FBI official said on Wednesday, external that they are also keeping an eye on the way that the Chinese try to undermine the US on the world stage: according to the official, the Chinese are aiming for the “decline” of the US.

Meanwhile the Russians are trying to pit people in this country against each other, according to the US official, explaining that their goal was to get Americans “to tear each other apart politically”.

China and Russia both have favourites, as a US intelligence official explained this month., external The Chinese are apparently hoping that Mr Trump will lose, while the Russians are trying to denigrate Mr Trump’s rival, Joe Biden.

Image source, Republican National Convention

Speaking now is Marsha Blackburn, the junior senator from Tennessee who won her seat in 2018 following the retirement of Bob Corker, a prominent Republican critic of President Trump.

Blackburn gives a nod to frontline workers fighting the Covid-19 pandemic, blaming the Chinese Communist Party for "unleashing" the pandemic and castigating leftist villains.

Blackburn, a businesswoman turned member of Congress before winning the senate seat, is perhaps most famous as the first candidate the singer Taylor Swift publicly commented about.

Swift urged fans to vote against Blackburn, 68, due to her record on women's issues and gay rights. Though the singer's appeal was credited with a spike in voter registration, Blackburn won the seat with a wide margin, becoming the first woman senator from Tennessee.

The senator leans in to a critique of the Democrats as she speaks at the RNC, questioning the values of the opposing party. `

"They close our churches but keep our liquor stores open," she says.

"If the Democrats had their way, they would keep you locked in your house until you become dependent on the government for everything."

"You will never cancel our heroes," she says.

Image source, Getty Images

The governor of South Dakota begins day three of the convention with a message about protests that have wracked the country all summer.

"From Seattle and Portland to Washington and New York, Democrat-run cities across this country are being overrun by violent mobs," says Kristi Noem.

"The violence is rampant. There’s looting, chaos, destruction, and murder. People that can afford to flee have fled. But the people that can’t - good, hard-working Americans - are left to fend for themselves."

She continues to say that President Trump is fighting for "the good average American. He's fighting for you."

In Kenosha, Wisconsin, where a black man was shot by police on Sunday - protests have led to violence, and the arrest of a 17-year old murder suspect.With one more day to go in the convention, Republicans are casting Democrats as sympathetic to mob violence.

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South Dakota Governor Kristi Noem is among the first to speak.

The mother of three told Fox News hours before her speech that Melania’s Trump’s address on day two of the convention reminded her that “no mother in this country” wants to raise their children in Democratic-run cities.

The Republican former congresswoman hosted Trump for a rally at Mount Rushmore on 4 July. According to reports, she gifted Mr Trump a four foot tall replica of Mount Rushmore, which featured a fifth president added - Mr Trump.

The Sturgis Motorcycle Rally, held in her state earlier this month and attended by around 450,000 people, was said to be one of the largest US gatherings since Covid-19 led to lockdowns in March.

Previewing the rally, she warned that leaders pushing for lockdowns to stem the pandemic “overstep their authorities… and thats’ how we lose this country”.

So far, outbreaks tied to the rally have been found in at least eight states.

The theme of the evening is "Land of heroes" and of that there can be no doubt as the RNC kicks off with a stirring video, exhorting viewers to join in a celebration of America - "Land of the free and home of the brave".