The list of speakers for the upcoming RNC Midterm Convention in Dallas, Texas leaked on Saturday, and one name in particular drew attention among critics.

Axios obtained and reported on a preliminary list of speakers for the event, which has been described as a “first-of-its-kind” “Trump-a-palooza.” Among those scheduled to speak was Attorney General Todd Blanche, which immediately caught the attention of former Obama campaign aide Christopher Hale.

“The United States Attorney General is speaking at a national partisan political convention,” Hale wrote Saturday night in a social media post on X.

As has been flagged by law experts in the past, U.S. federal executive branch employees are prohibited by law from using their job to influence elections. Given that the U.S. attorney general is “on the clock 24/7,” as noted by former U.S. Attorney Joyce Vance, Blanche participating in a partisan convention, critics say, is a potential violation of the 1939 Hatch Act.

Blanche faced similar scrutiny last month after stumping for an ally to President Donald Trump during a campaign rally, a move that countless critics slammed as potentially unlawful.

Others, like former Bloomberg Opinion columnist Conor Sen, flagged a notable absence from the list: Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-SD).

Axios’ Alex Isenstadt offered a potential explanation for the Republican Senate leaders’ potential absence.

“One name that is notably absent from the list is Senate Majority Leader John Thune, who Trump has attacked for not doing more to pass election security legislation,” Isenstadt wrote in Axios’ Saturday report. “But Thune is scheduled to be in Dallas next week for fundraising, and organizers say they are still adding names to the list.”

President Donald Trump’s unprecedented oil deal with Venezuela, of which the full details have yet to be made public, is already destined to “backfire” in a spectacular fashion, academic and economic expert Francisco Rodríguez argued on Saturday.

“There is still a lot we don’t know about the deal,” Rodríguez wrote in a guest essay published Saturday in The New York Times. “Mr. Trump claims that it will come at no cost to American taxpayers and that it will serve to replenish the U.S. Strategic Petroleum Reserve, which is running at its lowest level since 1982.”

Announced last week, the deal will see the United States be granted rights to Venezuela’s untapped oil fields for 100 years, with the U.S. government taking a direct stake in Venezuela's oil reserves — the single-largest proven oil reserves on earth — through a partnership with a private company run by controversial oil baron Alejandro Betancourt López.

The deal, however, will likely fail to meet any of the Trump administration’s stated objectives, Rodríguez argued.

“This is a country where no one should be surprised to see privatization fail. Nor is this deal likely to make a dent in global oil prices, which the Trump administration has presented as one of the key goals of the plan,” Rodríguez wrote.

“It will take years for Venezuelan oil production to increase in a significant way — and even if it does, it will not keep pace with the projected growth in world demand over the next 25 years. Any oil that ends up in the Strategic Petroleum Reserve will not be sold in global markets.”

The Trump administration has also claimed that the oil deal would help with Venezuela’s “democratic transition.” This goal too, Rodríguez argued, was destined to fail.

“Over the past two decades, Venezuelans have lived through the destruction of what was once a prosperous economy and a vibrant democracy. The United States now has both the opportunity and the responsibility to help them rebuild their country,” Rodríguez wrote.

“A hazy privatization process that reduces accountability, deepens inequalities and sidesteps institutional reform will not bring democratic change closer. It will push it further away.”

An Indiana farm is facing mockery after unveiling a corn maze honoring slain right-wing activist Charlie Kirk, and Fox News' Joe Concha wasn’t pleased about it.

Kirk was assassinated last year while speaking at a Turning Point USA event at Utah Valley University. A close ally to President Donald Trump, Kirk remains a polarizing figure due to a number of past controversial remarks, including warnings of “prowling Blacks” and unqualified Black aircraft pilots.

This week, Goebel Farms in Indiana revealed that they had updated the design of their corn maze to honor Kirk, with the maze shaped to depict Kirk’s face, alongside the Turning Point USA logo and the message “RIP CK,” according to WEHT/WTVW News. As noted by the outlet, the farm was soon flooded with dozens of negative reviews.

Concha, speaking on Fox News’ “The Big Weekend Show,” highlighted the backlash as part of the program’s segment flagging what they considered to be the biggest “flops” of the week.

“A farm in Indiana is facing backlash and negative reviews after they turned their corn maze into a tribute for the late, great Charlie Kirk, who died nearly a year ago at Utah Valley University, Sept. 10,” Concha said. “And people are mad about this? Give me a break!”

Fox News’ Riley Gaines concurred with Concha’s disapproval, adding, “we miss Charlie Kirk every single day.”

“Indeed,” Concha said.

Some Americans criticizing or mocking Kirk in the wake of his assassination have faced steep consequences, including Tennessee resident Larry Bushart, a retired police officer who was jailed for 37 days on a felony charge for refusing to take down a Facebook meme related to Kirk’s killing.

Bushart captioned his post with the words: “This seems relevant today,” according to PBS News. The meme itself featured an image of Trump alongside his own words: “We have to get over it,” a reference to real comments made by Trump in response to the 2024 Perry High School shooting in Iowa.