Trump approves list of convention speakers

The Republican Party has released the list of speakers for next week’s convention in Cleveland, Ohio. The lineup includes names many would expect for the GOP’s biggest event—Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell of Kentucky, House Speaker Paul Ryan of Wisconsin, and Sen. Ted Cruz of Texas. But party heavyweights who have been critical of presumptive presidential nominee Donald Trump are conspicuously absent, including former presidents George H.W. Bush and George W. Bush, and former presidential nominees John McCain and Mitt Romney. Ohio Gov. John Kasich, one of Trump’s many primary challengers, also plans to skip the event, even though his state is hosting. The list of non-elected speakers includes Tim Tebow and Jerry Falwell Jr., as well as PayPal co-founder Peter Thiel, thought to be the first openly gay speaker invited to speak at a GOP convention.