Primary races in Florida test GOP redistricting efforts while two men with the same name face off in an Alaska Senate race. Hayden Panettiere’s death follows a lifelong career marked with struggles. And family drama delivers a new twist in the sale of the Los Angeles Lakers.
Here’s what to know today.
The Dan Sullivan saga, redistricting and more in today’s primaries
Voters will head to the polls today to decide crucial primary races in Florida, Alaska and Wyoming, including one that features dueling names on one state’s ballots.
This is Morning Rundown, a weekday newsletter to start your day. Sign up here to get it in your inbox.
In Alaska, you may remember the news of Republican Sen. Dan Sullivan facing a primary challenger also named Dan Sullivan. The latter Sullivan’s run sparked a legal battle over his placement on the ballot, but his name was ultimately allowed to remain. The incumbent Sullivan’s most notable opponent is former Democratic Rep. Mary Peltola. Alaska’s all-party primary system means the top four vote-getters will advance to the general election.
Florida’s primaries come months after the Republican-led state Legislature passed a new congressional map in hopes of netting the party up to four more seats from the state. That means some Democratic representatives are in newly vulnerable districts and could face tough odds in the general election.
Then, there’s the race to succeed term-limited Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis. Rep. Byron Donalds, who is backed by Trump and wealthy Republican donors, is the top contender.
Trump’s endorsement, including for some scandal-plagued candidates, will also be put to the test. And in California, voters in the state’s 14th District will pick a replacement for former Rep. Eric Swalwell.
What else to know about today’s primaries.
NBC News’ chief data analyst, Steve Kornacki, explains what it would take for Republicans to win in Florida’s newly redrawn districts in The Data Dive, a new subscriber-exclusive newsletter on the numbers, trends and data shaping the biggest stories heading into the midterms. Read today’s edition here.
More politics news:
- NBC News senior politics reporter Jonathan Allen is hitting the road to talk to voters in battleground congressional districts in his new series, “Drive to Decision Day.” Here’s what voters had to say about the Iran war during his first stop in Pennsylvania.
- The House Ethics Committee said it’s reviewing allegations that Rep. Jimmy Gomez of California engaged in sexual misconduct.
- The Trump administration said it’s pausing a border construction project in Texas’ Big Bend National Park.
- For subscribers: Who is Natalie Harp? Sen. John Ossoff’s criticism of Trump puts the White House aide in the spotlight.
Hayden Panettiere struggled with stardom, substance abuse and depression
A day after actor Hayden Panettiere died, authorities in South Carolina offered new details about the 36-year-old’s death. Police said they responded to a call about a “reported cardiac arrest” Sunday afternoon and that resuscitation efforts were unsuccessful. The Greenville County Coroner’s Office said yesterday that the cause of death is pending further investigation, and an autopsy showed “no signs of trauma” that would have “contributed to the death.”
The actor’s death marks the end of a lifelong career in Hollywood that began with a modeling gig when she was just 11 months old. She would go on to become a millennial icon for her roles in “Heroes” and “Nashville” while she struggled down a career path that she embraced — but had not chosen for herself — littered with Hollywood sexism, postpartum depression, addiction, domestic abuse and, ultimately, loss.
What Panettiere said about her life in her book and in interviews.
Wladimir Klitschko paid tribute to his former partner in a post on Instagram, sharing his profound shock over her loss. “She left this world far too soon,” wrote Klitschko, the Ukrainian boxer and father of their child, Kaya. The post featured an image of their daughter happily sitting on her mother’s shoulders.
Trump threatens to bomb Oman amid Strait of Hormuz talks
President Donald Trump threatened to “bomb the s---” out of Oman if it interferes in a potential deal over control of the Strait of Hormuz. The threat came in a phone interview with Fox News chief foreign correspondent Trey Yingst, who said it was a response to questions about talks between Oman and Iran over the status of the strait. Iran’s semiofficial Mehr News Agency said the two countries reached an agreement last weekend on a plan for traffic in the waterway.
Trump has claimed that the U.S. has “total control over the strait” and that oil prices are coming down. But the price of Brent crude rose sharply Monday, which marked the end of a 60-day deadline that the U.S. and Iran agreed to in June to reach an agreement on Iran’s nuclear program.
More about Oman’s role in negotiations.
More coverage of Middle East conflicts:
- For subscribers: Russia is shipping drone components, ammunition and TNT to Iran, sources say, helping Tehran replenish stockpiles and underscoring the two countries’ deepening strategic alliance.
- Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Trump’s son-in-law and envoy Jared Kushner agreed that the Gaza Strip’s “demilitarization” should start with a U.S. military general overseeing a Hamas weapons handover, a senior Israeli official said.
Jeanie Buss denies her family is selling its remaining Lakers stake
Jeanie Buss, the controlling owner of the Los Angeles Lakers, has not agreed to sell her family’s stake in the NBA franchise, according to a letter from her lawyer to her siblings’ attorneys. The declaration directly contradicts an earlier report from ESPN that cited a family statement saying the “Buss family has decided to sell its remaining 17.8% stake” in the team to new majority owners, investor Josh Kushner and former Walt Disney Co. CEO Bob Iger.
The letter was the latest twist in the Lakers’ ownership. Last week, the team’s majority shareholder, Mark Walter, suddenly moved to sell his portion of ownership in the team to Kushner and Iger, surprising many in the NBA. Buss has been the Lakers’ governor since her father Jerry Buss’ death in 2013, and since then, his six children have been in frequent conflict.
What else Buss’ lawyer said in the letter.
Staff Pick: Divorce used to be taboo. For some women, it’s now a trend.
I’ve been talking about divorces a lot lately because one of my closest friends is navigating the transition. At first, I assumed the flood of videos about the new “Hot Divorcée Summer” trend on my Instagram feed was simply my algorithm doing what algorithms do. But then Twisted Tea launched a breakup-themed “Split Pack,” and I opened Netflix one day to find a new category of movies and shows titled “Hot Divorcée Summer.”
I’ve watched friends throw divorce parties, re-enter the dating scene and embrace this new chapter of their lives. What has inspired me most isn’t just their strength, independence and resilience, but the way their divorce has transformed into a beautiful starting point for something better.
As I began talking with others embracing the movement, one theme kept surfacing: Divorce has always had a stigma, and this trend is challenging the idea that the end of a marriage is a loss or a failure. For them, it’s about reclaiming what comes next. The more people I spoke with, the more stories I heard about divorce parties, jewelry, celebratory trips and how “Hot Divorcée Summer” is making a difference for so many people.
Perhaps most interestingly, the movement is resonating with people who are single or happily in relationships connecting with its broader message: rediscovering what makes you happy and living life on your own terms. — Emily Lorsch, business and economy producer
Read All About It
- The number of parents in the U.S. choosing not to vaccinate their children for personal or religious reasons hit a new record.
- A baby with a serious heart condition who was at the center of a multistate legal fight involving a surrogate has undergone surgery, the lawyer representing the child’s biological parents said.
- A judge has put proceedings in Luigi Mangione’s state murder trial on hold after Mangione’s legal team filed a double jeopardy motion.
- For subscribers: Court documents detail how an accounting major and frat brother allegedly became Penn State’s biggest drug dealer.
NBC Selected: Online Shopping, Simplified
Having the best oral care products is key to maintaining good dental health. That’s why NBC Selected spent months testing hundreds of products to find the best ones in every category, including a highly rated electric toothbrush that’s on sale for $35.
Sign up for The Selection newsletter for hands-on product reviews, expert shopping tips and a look at the best deals and sales each week.
Thanks for reading today’s Morning Rundown. Today’s newsletter was curated for you by Elizabeth Robinson and Josh Feldman. If you’re a fan, please send a link to your family and friends. They can sign up here.
