Night 3 of the Republican National Convention begins

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As the upper Midwest remains under duress following the police shooting of Jacob Blake, a Black man, in Kenosha, Wisconsin. Sen. Marsha Blackburn, a Republican from Tennessee, discussed the importance of law enforcement in the US, calling them "heroes."

Blackburn's perspective was inspired by her father, who served in the Army during WWII and who volunteered with the sheriff's department for 30 years after returning home, she said.

More on Wisconsin: A 17-year-old Illinois resident connected to an overnight shooting during a protest in Kenosha was taken into custody Wednesday morning, according to police in Antioch, Illinois.

Wisconsin authorities issued an arrest warrant charging Kyle Rittenhouse with first-degree intentional homicide, Antioch Police said. He is in the custody of the Lake County Judicial System pending an extradition hearing to transfer him from Illinois to Wisconsin. Antioch is located about 15 to 20 miles from Kenosha, just across the state border.

Kenosha Police Chief Daniel Miskinis confirmed that a 17-year-old Antioch resident has been charged in a shooting incident and said that the man "was involved in the use of firearms to resolve whatever conflict was in place."

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South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem delivered the first speech at the Republican convention on Wednesday, focusing on the idea that America’s “founding principles are under attack.” 

"This year, the choice for Americans is between a man who values these ideals and all that can be built because of them, and a man who isn’t guided by these ideals and coincidentally, has built nothing," Noem said.

Noem, the staunch ally who welcomed President Donald Trump to Mt. Rushmore for its first Fourth of July fireworks in years this summer, and reportedly produced a mock-up of the monument to include Trump’s face, appeared to compare Trump to Abraham Lincoln during her RNC speech.

Amid ongoing demonstrations in Wisconsin, turned deadly overnight, Noem sought to convey both an inclusive message about the party and one which blame Democrats for violence that’s transpired at anti-police brutality protests across the country this year.  

“From Seattle and Portland to Washington and New York, Democrat-run cities across this country are being overrun by violent mobs. The violence is rampant. There’s looting, chaos, destruction, and murder,” she said, later adding, “Our party respects individuals based on who they are. We don’t divide people based on their beliefs or their roots. We don’t shun people who think for themselves. We respect everyone equally under the Constitution and treat them as Martin Luther King, Jr. wished, according to the content of their character and not the color of their skin.” 

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David Goldman/AP

A crisis is brewing in the upper Midwest following the police shooting of Jacob Blake, a Black man, in Kenosha, Wisconsin. A prayer for peace in the city opened Tuesday night’s Republican National Convention, but Trump has since sought to use the violence there to advance his “law and order” message, chastising the state’s governor before eventually saying he was sending in federal law enforcement.

The events in Kenosha provide an unsettling backdrop for Trump's convention – though the unrest does seem to fit into it's pro-law enforcement theme, which continue on Wednesday with scheduled speeches from a man whose wife was murdered and the president of the National Association of Police Organizations.

But they also lay bare the consequences of Trump's actions and provide another stark reminder of how Trump has stoked racial divisions during his presidency. Two featured convention speakers on Monday, Mark and Patricia McCloskey, who were filmed brandishing guns at a group of protesters who were walking along the neighborhood’s private street, en route to the St. Louis mayor’s residence to advocate for policing reform.

How speakers -- particularly those representing the administration, including Vice President Mike Pence -- address the unrest in Wisconsin on Wednesday remains to be seen. The President's rival Joe Biden said Wednesday he'd spoken with Blake's family and said protests must be peaceful. A White House official told CNN’s Jim Acosta efforts have been made to connect Trump with the Blake’s family but the President hasn't specifically addressed Blake's shooting. The White House released a statement broadly condemning violence on Wednesday: "President Trump condemns violence in all forms and believes we must protect all Americans from chaos and lawlessness," press secretary Kayleigh McEnany said.

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Vice President Mike Pence isn't expected to address the unrest unfolding on the streets of Wisconsin during his speech at the Republican National Convention tonight, a source familiar with the address tells CNN. 

This person said mention of Wisconsin had never been included in the draft, but a separate source said earlier Wednesday that Pence would reference it tonight. It's not clear what changed as events shifted dramatically throughout the day, but it is certain that the events in Kenosha will loom over the third night of the RNC. 

Beyond tweeting about sending in law enforcement to Wisconsin, President Trump has not publicly commented on the police shooting of Jacob Blake. Aides have said he is waiting for more information. He has been briefed by the attorney general and aides have been in contact with the governor's office. 

It's a familiar pattern in the Trump White House where Pence will delay commenting on a matter until the President has weighed in. That appears to be the case here in Fort McHenry tonight. 

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The third night of the Republican National Convention has kicked off. Vice President Mike Pence will step into the convention's leading role this evening as the party looks to push President Donald Trump's pro-police "law and order" message on the same night sports stars make a historic protest against police brutality.

Pence is expected to make the case that Joe Biden would lead the country in a dangerously liberal direction as he defends the Trump presidency. A major theme of both his address and the night as a whole will be support for law enforcement. The theme of the night contrasts sharply with National Basketball Association and Major League Baseball teams announcing they will not play in their Wednesday night games to protest police violence against Black people.

The Milwaukee Bucks decided against playing Game 5 of their playoff series against the Orlando Magic in protest over the police shooting of Jacob Blake — a 29-year-old Black man who was shot multiple times in the back as he tried to enter an SUV with his children in the vehicle — in Kenosha, Wisconsin, which is close to Milwaukee. The two other playoff games scheduled to be played Wednesday night were then also postponed as players decided to join the Bucks in the protest.

It's a historic moment in the sporting world that will stand starkly against the Republican messages of support for police and regular calls for athletes to stick to sports instead of making political statements. Pence is expected to address players kneeling during the National Anthem as a form of protest against police brutality and both Trump and Pence have repeatedly criticized players who have taken a knee as disrespectful to the flag and to American values.

Throughout the spring and summer as Americans filled the streets to protest the death of George Floyd, Pence has tried to reframe the debate as an attack on police. In numerous swing state appearances this summer, he has inaccurately suggested that the former vice president would side with far-left activists who favor defunding the police.

Read more here.

Vice President Mike Pence and Kellyanne Conway. AP, Getty Images

The third night of the Republican National Convention is this evening, and will take place from 8:30 p.m. to 11 p.m. ET.

Vice President Mike Pence and second lady Karen Pence are among the scheduled speakers, alongside several women in high-ranking political positions within the Republican Party across the country and Madison Cawthorn, the 25-year-old who won a North Carolina Republican congressional primary over a candidate backed by Trump.

The night is also expected to feature a military veteran, a civil rights activist and the president of the National Association of Police Organizations.

Like Tuesday's speeches, Wednesday's appearances are expected to be a mix of pre-taped remarks, pre-cut videos and live broadcasts. The Trump campaign has said to prepare for surprises and expect President Donald Trump to make an appearance each night of the convention.

Day three of the convention is set to focus the theme: "Land of Heroes."

Here are key things to watch tonight:

Read more about tonight's events here.

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On a call with reporters earlier today, Trump campaign communications director Tim Murtaugh previewed tonight’s keynote speech from Vice President Mike Pence. Pence will speak from Fort McHenry, the inspiration for Francis Scott Key’s Star Spangled Banner

Pence will focus on the Trump administration’s accomplishments, Murtaugh said, “especially as compared to the platitudes that are all that we hear from Joe Biden.”

President Donald Trump will appear in tonight’s program, as he has every night this week so far.

White House counselor Kellyanne Conway is among the list of scheduled speakers at the RNC Wednesday evening, speaking just a few days after she abruptly announced she would be leaving her White House job.

In 2016, Conway became the first female campaign manager to win a presidential race. After the election, she became counselor to the President and has remained one of the President's longest-serving advisers.

Conway announced Sunday evening she will leave her job at the White House at the end of the month while her husband, George Conway, said he was withdrawing from the anti-Trump organization, The Lincoln Project, with both citing a need to focus on their family.

Conway's speech on Wednesday will mark her second appearance at the 2020 GOP convention.

On Tuesday, she was featured in a short video with other women in leadership positions across the Trump campaign and the Trump administration.

Conway is among a list of standout women in GOP leadership roles expected to speak on Wednesday. South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem, Iowa Sen. Joni Ernst and Rep. Elise Stefanik, the youngest Republican ever to be elected to Congress, are also scheduled to speak.

It appears to be part of a larger appeal to bring more women into the party amid fears that their support for the GOP and Trump is eroding. According to several national polls conducted over the summer, the gender gap among voters is near historic highs.

Vice President Mike Pence speaks during the first day of the Republican National Convention on August 24, in Charlotte, North Carolina. Logan Cyrus/AFP/Getty Images

In his speech at Fort McHenry tonight, Vice President Mike Pence will address the racial unrest in America.

He will make a particular mention of the violence unfolding in Wisconsin, where two people were killed overnight and a third injured during the third straight night of demonstrations in Kenosha over the police shooting of Jacob Blake.

The vice president’s remarks are still being written — and updated as events unfold in Wisconsin and elsewhere — but he plans to steep his remarks in patriotic tones and will make a particular reference to the National Anthem.

He is expected to repeat his call for standing during the anthem — as a sign of respect for the flag — and use that in his remarks tonight.

It remains an open question how much he will dwell on that, aides said, because he is also focused intently on Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden and VP nominee Kamala Harris.

A senior Republican official says Pence will use his remarks “to keep defining the Democratic ticket as out of touch and dangerous for America.”