RNC is on. What to expect on Day 1.
CLEVELAND (AP) - Already, not all is going as scheduled.
A group of dissident conservatives says it has gathered the signatures needed to force a showdown vote over Republican rules on the GOP national convention's first day.
Party leaders have been trying to avert the clash in hopes of projecting an image of a united party as delegates gather to formally nominate Donald Trump to be president. They've been lobbying to try to head off the clash, and expect to win if such a vote occurs.
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But just after the convention was gaveled into session on Monday, a dissident group called Delegates Unbound said in an email that it had gathered statements calling for a roll call by a majority of delegates from 10 states. Under GOP rules, a roll call can be demanded if most delegates from seven states sign such a statement.
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Republicans have opened their convention in Cleveland where they'll nominate Donald Trump to be the party's presidential standard-bearer in November.
Party chairman Reince Preibus kicked off the four-day event. He almost immediately asked for a moment of silence to remember those who been killed during recent "troubling times."
The major speakers are slated for the evening when Melania Trump, wife of the candidate, addresses the delegates.
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New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie says that he's relieved Donald Trump chose a governor to be his running mate and that "we don't need another big mouth from Congress."
Christie told a group of Michigan Republicans gathered in Ohio Monday that Trump needed someone with him who has governed.
Christie and former House Speaker Newt Gingrich were runners-up to Indiana Gov. Mike Pence in Trump's vice presidential search. Christie didn't mention Gingrich when making the "big mouth" comment.
Christie told reporters Sunday that he was disappointed he wasn't chosen, but has "no discontent."
Speaking at a hotel outside of Cleveland, Christie told the Michigan delegation that the GOP needs to come together to defeat Hillary Clinton.
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Melania Trump is drawing lots of online interest ahead of her prime time speech at the Republican National Convention.
The wife of Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump on Monday morning was the most widely searched of the convention's GOP speakers among Google users.
Google Trends says actor Scott Baio and David A. Clarke Jr., the sheriff in Milwaukee County, Wisconsin, also are drawing wide interest.
Baio is a veteran actor who has starred the shows "Charles In Charge," `'Joanie Loves Chachi" and "Happy Days." Clarke, who is African-American, has spoken out against the Black Lives Matter movement and blames its supporters for inflaming racial tensions.
Meanwhile, the top searched political issues on Monday were "police," "race issues" and "ISIS."
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Newt Gingrich says last-ditch efforts by conservative delegates to block Donald Trump's nomination at the Republican National Convention are "silly" and should stop.
Gingrich is among those that Trump considered to become his running mate and is the former House speaker.
Some outnumbered delegates are trying to force the GOP to make rules changes that would include letting delegates back any presidential candidate they'd like and weaken the power of Republican Party leaders.
The Georgia Republican says of that effort, "It's silly. Trump carried 37 states. He's going to be the nominee."
Gingrich spoke to a reporter outside the convention center as delegates filed into the Quicken Loans Arena for Monday's start of the convention.
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Republicans are delicately thinking of the 2020 presidential campaign before Donald Trump even accepts the 2016 GOP presidential nomination in Cleveland.
Arkansas Sen. Tom Cotton didn't speak of the next presidential campaign during an address to about 100 Republican activists at a downtown convention center as the GOP convention opened. But some delegates present said they heard a potential 2020 candidate speaking.
Jane Page of Aiken, South Carolina, said the group is "really good at identifying candidates four, even six years out," and added that Cotton, a freshman senator, is "impressive."
Cotton, a 37-year-old former U.S. House member and combat veteran of Iraq and Afghanistan, railed on Democratic President Barack Obama's national security policies, and touted a more aggressive military policy.
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Minnesota Republicans are backing a last-ditch effort that could hinder business mogul Donald Trump's nomination for the president.
Republicans prepared to start their convention Monday, with an expected vote in the afternoon on the rules that will govern the week. Insurgent delegates have circulated a petition to force a state-by-state vote as part of their bid to deny Trump the nomination.
Minnesota delegate Matt Pagano confirmed a majority of the state's 38 delegates supported a roll call vote. A majority of delegates from seven states must back the effort to force a roll call vote.
Minnesota handed Trump one of his worst finishes in an otherwise strong primary season performance this winter. Florida Sen. Marco Rubio won the state, and Trump finished third with 8 delegates.
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Donald Trump's campaign chief says the Bush family "is part of the past" and that they don't reflect the current Republican Party.
The answer came in response to a question about former Presidents George H.W. Bush and President George W. Bush decisions not to attend this week's Republican National Convention.
Campaign chairman Paul Manafort told reporters on Monday that the campaign's primary goal at the national convention this week was to unify the Republican Party, but he had harsh words for the members of Republican political royalty.
Manafort said, "Certainly the Bush family, we would have liked to have had them. They're part of the past. We're dealing with the future."
Manafort described nominating conventions as "a healing time," adding that by the end of the week, "by and large, it's going to be a united Republican Party."
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Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker says "fears and concerns" about Democrat Hillary Clinton "are the most compelling things" that will unite Republicans behind Donald Trump.
Walker told The Associated Press in a telephone interview Monday from Cleveland that a central theme of his speech at the Republican National Convention there on Wednesday night will be that "America deserves better" than Clinton.
Walker has been a reluctant supporter of Trump, having urged his defeat after dropping out of the presidential race in September and endorsing Texas Sen. Ted Cruz in Wisconsin's primary. Walker says Monday that his concerns about Trump have been gradually easing.
He says he is "thrilled" with Trump's selection of Indiana Gov. Mike Pence as his running mate. Walker says that shows Trump is serious about governing.
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Donald Trump's campaign chair says he has "close to 20" states on his list of competitive general election battlegrounds.
Paul Manafort says that includes such states as Connecticut and Oregon, which he says are coming into play. Both states have voted for Democrats going back at least six elections.
Manafort says Trump has five or six pathways to getting the 270 Electoral College votes needed to win the presidency. He also mentioned states including Wisconsin, Iowa, Nevada and Virginia.
Trump has previously said he's interested in flipping states like New York that have long been Democratic strongholds. However, Manafort says New York is not on his target list.
Manafort spoke at a Bloomberg breakfast.
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Donald Trump's campaign manager says the celebrity businessman will speak at the Republican National Convention Monday night to introduce his wife, Melania.
Paul Manafort said in a news conference that Trump and his wife would fly to Cleveland in the hours before Melania's speech at the convention.
The GOP presidential nominee-in-waiting will introduce his wife onstage, Manafort said. Trump said earlier in the day on "Fox & Friends" that his wife will speak about her "love of the country" as an immigrant from Slovenia.
Melania Trump will be the first of several members of the candidate's family who will speak at the convention to "paint a picture" of Trump's character beyond what America "saw during the primaries," Manafort said.
The couple will then return to New York.
Trump is slated to return to Cleveland on Wednesday. His acceptance speech is scheduled for Thursday.
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Paul Ryan is ignoring Donald Trump and focusing on the House GOP agenda as he opens his visit to the Republican convention in Cleveland.
The House speaker used an appearance at his home-state Wisconsin delegation breakfast Monday to talk about a six-plank "better way" agenda he's rolled out in Congress.
It deals with poverty, national security, health care and other issues. Ryan says the agenda is about "giving people a choice" in the election.
But the speaker made no mention of Trump as he spoke for more than 10 minutes. Ryan hesitated for weeks before endorsing the businessman.
Ryan will deliver a speech to the convention on Tuesday.