Election highlights: Byron Donalds and David Jolly to face off in Florida governor’s race; Democratic socialist scores upset in Senate primary
This version of Elections Florida Governor House Senate Alaska Primaries Live Updates Rcna593016 - Politics and Government | NBC News Clone was adapted by NBC News Clone to help readers digest key facts more efficiently.
Alaska, Florida and Wyoming are holding primaries, while California is holding a special election to fill the seat previously held by Democratic former Rep. Eric Swalwell, who resigned this year.
What to know today
- FLORIDA GOVERNOR: The November matchup in the race to succeed term-limited GOP Gov. Ron DeSantis is all set. Rep. Byron Donalds, who is endorsed by President Donald Trump, will face David Jolly, a former Republican congressman and prominent Trump critic who left the GOP in 2018, NBC News projects.
- AN UPSET AND AN OUSTING: Democratic socialist Angie Nixon scored a major upset over former National Security Council aide Alex Vindman in the Florida Democratic Senate primary, NBC News projects. Republican Rep. Cory Mills, who had Trump's backing, has lost his primary in Florida, NBC News projects, amid a flurry of probes and negative publicity.
- ALASKA SENATE RACE: Alaska’s primary will determine whether GOP Sen. Dan Sullivan faces a candidate with the same name on the November ballot as he navigates a tough re-election race that includes former Rep. Mary Peltola, a Democrat. The other Dan Sullivan’s involvement has drawn the attention of the Justice Department, with a grand jury issuing subpoenas to compel information from witnesses linked to the campaign.
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Three Trump-backed candidates lost their primaries tonight
Securing a coveted Trump endorsement wasn’t enough for three Republican candidates to emerge victorious from their primaries tonight.
In the Wyoming governor’s race, state Superintendent Megan Degenfelder lost the GOP primary to state Sen. Eric Barlow. While Trump’s endorsement has often proven to be decisive in Republican nominating contests this year, gubernatorial races have tripped him up on several occasions. Trump’s preferred candidates also lost in Iowa, Georgia and Minnesota, and he issued a last-minute dual endorsement in South Carolina after the candidate he initially backed was headed for defeat.
Meanwhile, in Florida, two Trump-backed candidates lost House primaries. Former television journalist Ryan Elijah defeated Rep. Cory Mills, who faces House Ethics Committee and Justice Department investigations, in the 7th District. Trump had endorsed Mills early in the cycle, but he did not reiterate that support in the lead-up to today’s contest.
And in Florida’s 19th District, local conservative talk radio station owner Jim Schwartzel won the Republican nomination over Trump-backed Catalina Lauf, who had previously run for Congress in Illinois.
Trump had a sterling 2026 House endorsement record entering August. But earlier this month, military veteran Amir Hassan lost the GOP primary in Michigan’s 8th District to a political unknown who had dropped out of the race weeks before, while Rep. Andy Ogles, who has faced a series of controversies, was defeated in Tennessee’s 5th District.
Democratic strategist sees silver lining in Alex Vindman's loss
A Democratic strategist working on 2026 races said progressive Angie Nixon’s upset victory over center-left “resistance” figure Alex Vindman in the Florida Senate primary may be a blessing in disguise for the party.
“Honestly might be for the best. Tons of money won’t get wasted there,” said the strategist, who spoke candidly on condition of anonymity.
The implication is that Florida was never in play and Vindman would have attracted millions of dollars in donor money only to lose a race in the increasingly red state, where Republicans would be favored regardless of the Democratic nominee.
Close race to replace former Rep. Eric Swalwell brewing
With almost 60% of the expected vote counted, Democratic California state Sen. Aisha Wahab has 51% to fellow Democrat Melissa Hernandez's 48% in the race for former Rep. Eric Swalwell's district. The seat is open after Swalwell resigned this year amid sexual assault allegations, which he denied.
Eric Barlow wins the Republican primary for Wyoming governor, NBC News projects
State Sen. Eric Barlow has won the Republican primary for Wyoming governor, NBC News projects. He emerged from a multicandidate field that included state Superintendent Megan Degenfelder, who was endorsed by Trump.
Barlow will be the heavy favorite in the general election in the deep-red state to succeed term-limited Gov. Mark Gordon.
Darline Graham defends her résumé in South Carolina debate after saying ‘national security is not my thing’
Rep. Ralph Norman and Sen. Darline Graham before a special GOP Senate runoff debate to replace the late Sen. Lindsey Graham in Newberry, S.C., today. Meg Kinnard / AP
Sen. Darline Graham and Rep. Ralph Norman traded criticism over experience, ambition, campaign finance and policy positions in a Senate primary debate tonight in South Carolina, one week before Republican primary voters choose a nominee to replace Graham’s brother, the late Sen. Lindsey Graham, on the ballot this fall.
While Graham, a political newcomer, went on the attack against Norman, her thin résumé took center stage in the historic Newberry Opera House on several occasions throughout the debate, including when a question about Taiwan, the South China Sea and American security interests came up.
“I’m just going to be honest here — I’m not on national security,” Graham said. “I’m not that informed on national security, but I do support the military.”
She followed her short answer by saying, “National security is not my thing.”
Polls close in California
As of 11 p.m. ET, polls in California have closed in the special election in the 14th Congressional District.
The race will determine who replaces former Rep. Eric Swalwell, who resigned this year.
Rep. Harriet Hageman wins the Republican Senate primary in Wyoming, NBC News projects.
Rep. Harriet Hageman wins the Republican Senate primary in Wyoming, NBC News projects.
Hageman, who was endorsed by Trump, won her House seat in 2022 with his support as well. She successfully challenged then-Rep. Liz Cheney, who had voted for Trump's impeachment in 2021.
Sen. Cynthia Lummis is retiring, opening the Senate seat this year.
Nancy Mace toasts fellow Republican Cory Mills' primary loss
Rep. Nancy Mace, R-S.C., toasted Rep. Cory Mills’ loss in his Florida primary tonight.
“Cheers,” Mace wrote on X, adding an emoji of clinking champagne flutes.
There’s no love lost between Mace and Mills. Mace introduced a resolution in April to expel Mills from Congress over sexual misconduct and other accusations, which Mills has denied.
Mills, who was under investigation by the House Ethics Committee, said at the time that he had no plans to resign from Congress or end his re-election campaign. He called the expulsion resolution “political fundraising theatrics by Mace” and went after her over her own ethics investigation. (The Ethics Committee is investigating Mace after it received complaints that she overcharged Congress for housing costs. Her office has told Politico she is “not taking seriously” the complaint.)
Mace, like Mills, will not be returning to Congress next year. She is not seeking re-election, and she lost the GOP primary for South Carolina governor in June, failing to advance to a runoff.
Trump celebrates Alex Vindman's loss in Florida
Trump celebrated Vindman’s loss in Florida’s Democratic primary for the Senate tonight.
Vindman, a retired lieutenant colonel and Iraq War veteran, was a witness during the 2019 impeachment hearings against Trump. He lost tonight to Angie Nixon in a major upset.
“SleazeBag Vindman loses tonight to a Radical Left Lunatic,” Trump wrote on Truth Social. “How cool is that???”
Rep. Byron Donalds thanked supporters after his projected win in the Republican gubernatorial primary in Florida. Donalds was endorsed by Trump.
Oliver Gilbert wins the Democratic primary in Florida's 24th Congressional District, NBC News projects
Oliver Gilbert wins the Democratic primary in Florida's 24th Congressional District, an open deep-blue seat, NBC News projects.
Polls close in Wyoming
Polls in Wyoming have closed at 9 p.m. ET.
Steve Kornacki's other Tuesday night routine? Watching 'Cheers'
As he waited for updates on two outstanding races in Florida before calling it a night on the Kornacki Cam, Steve said he's thinking about what’s next on the agenda beyond politics.
“Does everybody have a favorite Tuesday night routine out there? We’ll let you get to it,” Steve said.
“I watch ‘Cheers,’” Steve said. “It’s on at 11.”
Looking ahead to November after Angie Nixon's surprise win
In the surprise of the hour, Nixon, an underfunded state legislator, will face Sen. Ashley Moody, R-Fla., in November.
This year's Senate contest in Florida was not considered a top-tier race. The Democratic establishment hoped it could become one, but that calculation rested on Vindman's winning this primary — not a candidate as far left as Nixon.
Vindman came into this with a ton of national support and a ton of national money. Democratic leaders had raised concerns that he might be a bit complacent as a candidate — and that proved true.
Nixon, who came at Vindman from the left, joined the Democratic Socialists of America during the campaign.
Scott Singer wins the Republican primary in Florida's 25th Congressional District, NBC News projects
Scott Singer wins the Republican primary in Florida's 25th Congressional District, NBC News projects. He'll face Democratic Rep. Jared Moskowitz in a district that grew significantly more GOP-leaning in redistricting this year.
Eliott Rodriguez wins the Democratic primary in Florida's 27th Congressional District, NBC News projects
Eliott Rodriguez wins the Democratic primary in Florida's 27th Congressional District, NBC News projects. Rodriguez, a former local newscaster, will face GOP Rep. Maria Elvira Salazar, also a former TV news anchor, in the general election.
Jim Schwartzel wins the Republican primary in Florida's 19th Congressional District, NBC News projects
Local conservative talk radio station owner Jim Schwartzel has emerged from a crowded GOP primary field in Florida’s 19th Congressional District, NBC News projects.
Schwartzel defeated several Republicans who have run for office in other states, including former Illinois congressional candidate Catalina Lauf, who was endorsed by Trump.
Other candidates included former Reps. Madison Cawthorn of North Carolina and Chris Collins of New York and former Illinois state Sen. Jim Oberweis.
Rep. Randy Fine wins the Republican primary in Florida's 6th Congressional District, NBC News projects
Rep. Randy Fine fended off several challengers to win the Republican nomination in Florida's 6th Congressional District, NBC News projects.
Fine was first elected in a special election last year to replace former Rep. Michael Waltz, who was Trump’s national security adviser at the time and now is the U.S. ambassador to the United Nations.
Ryan Elijah wins the Republican primary in Florida's 7th Congressional District, NBC News projects
Former television journalist Ryan Elijah captured the Republican nomination over Rep. Cory Mills in Florida’s 7th District, NBC News projects.
Trump carried the seat by 12 points in 2024.
Democrats have hoped to make it competitive this fall, especially if Mills was on the ballot.
Angie Nixon wins the Democratic Senate primary special in Florida, NBC News projects.
Progressive state Rep. Angie Nixon scored a major upset over former National Security Council aide Alex Vindman in the Florida Democratic Senate primary, NBC News projects, setting up a general election race against Republican Sen. Ashley Moody.
Incumbent Ashley Moody wins the Republican Senate primary special in Florida, NBC News projects
Sen. Ashley Moody was appointed last year to the seat by Gov. Ron DeSantis to replace Marco Rubio after he was nominated by Trump to be secretary of state. She easily fended off several challengers to win her Republican primary on Tuesday, NBC News projects.
Byron Donalds wins the Republican primary for Florida governor, NBC News projects
Rep. Byron Donalds outran a crowded Republican field to win his party’s nomination for Florida governor, NBC News projects.
Donalds raised a staggering nearly $100 million and held a huge lead in most public polling after Trump endorsed him in May, but three other GOP candidates ran campaigns relentlessly attacking him.
David Jolly wins the Democratic primary for Florida governor, NBC News projects
Former Rep. David Jolly won the Democratic primary for Florida governor, NBC News projects.
Jolly, a former Republican member of Congress, has become a prominent Trump critic in recent years.
All polls in Florida have closed
All polls in Florida are now closed, as of 8 p.m. ET.
Alex Vindman trails Senate primary despite outspending rival
Alex Vindman is trailing state Rep. Angie Nixon for the Democratic Senate nomination in Florida despite having spent 10 times more money in the race.
Vindman's campaign has spent $9 million on the race after having raised $16.3 million, according to campaign finance reports filed with the Federal Election Commission. Nixon's campaign has spent $709,000 after it brought in $975,000.
Florida Senate update: Democratic socialist leads primary with three-quarters of the vote counted
State Rep. Angie Nixon. Joe Raedle / Getty Images
State Rep. Angie Nixon has 54% of the vote in the Democratic Senate primary in Florida to 46% for former National Security Council aide Alex Vindman, with 74% of the expected vote counted.
Mike Beltran wins the Republican primary in Florida's 14th Congressional District, NBC News projects
Mike Beltran wins the Republican primary in Florida's 14th Congressional District, NBC News projects.
He'll face Democratic Rep. Kathy Castor in a district the state GOP redrew to become a Republican-leaning seat.
Incumbent Jared Moskowitz wins the Democratic primary for Florida's 25th Congressional District, NBC News projects
Incumbent Jared Moskowitz wins the Democratic primary for Florida's 25th Congressional District, NBC News projects.
Incumbent Debbie Wasserman Schultz wins the Democratic primary in Florida's 20th Congressional District, NBC News projects
Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz wins the Democratic primary in Florida's 20th Congressional District, NBC News projects, as the first impacts of Florida Republicans’ redistricting plans landed in today's primaries.
Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis and other party leaders redrew Wasserman Schultz’s current district into one leaning toward Republicans. The move prompted Wasserman Schultz, a former chair of the Democratic National Committee, to run in the state’s new 20th District, which has long been represented by Black Democrats and is vacant because former Rep. Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick resigned after she was indicted and accused of stealing millions in Covid relief. She has denied wrongdoing.
Wasserman Schultz’s move sparked some frustration among Black Democrats. Cherfilus-McCormick ran again for the seat, and the other candidates were all Black Democrats: activist Elijah Manley, who was backed by Rep. Ro Khanna of California; former Broward County Mayor Dale Holness; and Luther “Uncle Luke” Campbell, the hip-hop star and former 2 Live Crew band member.
Democratic primary for Senate in Florida is close with a third of the vote in
State Rep. Angie Nixon and former National Security Council aide Alex Vindman are locked in a close race for the Democratic nomination for the Senate in Florida, with about one-third of the vote tallied.
Nixon, a member of the Democratic Socialists of America, has 50.5% of the Democratic primary vote to 49.5% for Vindman with 34% of the expected vote counted.
Polls begin to close in Florida
A voter wears an "I Voted" sticker outside a polling location in Miami today. Eva Marie Uzcategui / Bloomberg via Getty Images
Most of the polls in Florida have closed at 7 p.m. ET.
The remaining polls, in the western panhandle of the state, will close at 8 p.m.
House committee threatens Leon Black with contempt in Jeffrey Epstein probe
House Oversight Committee chair James Comer, R-Ky., is threatening to hold billionaire Leon Black in contempt if he refuses to turn over nondisclosure agreements that were subpoenaed as part of the panel's Jeffrey Epstein probe.
In a letter sent today to Black's attorneys, Comer said Black had turned over only one NDA and appears not to have turned over other documents.
Black, the former CEO of Apollo Global Management, appeared for a voluntary interview with the committee on June 26 about his relationship with Epstein, the late sex offender and financier. Black had paid Epstein $158 million for advice on tax and estate planning and related services from 2012 to 2017, a company review found.
On the day of the interview, Comer told reporters that Black was “refusing to answer specific questions” about NDAs he had with women. Comer issued subpoenas to Black for those NDAs and for him to return later to continue the deposition.
Black has said he did not engage in any wrongdoing but “deeply” regrets his involvement with Epstein. Law enforcement has not accused him of any wrongdoing.
The letter complained that in addition to failing to turn over additional NDAs, Black's attorneys were trying to postpone his scheduled Sept. 3 deposition until late September or October and had suggested it not be recorded by video.
“Mr. Black’s continued refusal to comply with the Committee’s legitimate subpoenas is unacceptable,” Comer wrote today. He said that if Black does not turn the documents over and appear for his scheduled deposition, "the Committee will use all tools at its disposal, including contempt.”
Susan Estrich, an attorney for Black, said in a statement that the “letter misrepresents the facts. Mr. Black provided the Committee with the only confidentiality agreement that pre-dated Epstein’s death and the only one of which Epstein was aware."
“Worse, the Committee threatens to turn innocent bystanders who don’t want their privacy invaded into political pawns. Congress has no right to invade private lives as part of a fishing expedition especially where the parties to a confidentiality agreement do not want their identities revealed in a circus-like atmosphere and especially when Epstein had nothing do with any agreement," the statement said.
“The Committee’s actions do not advance any legitimate purpose. Instead, the Committee seems committed to transform a fact finding exercise about Epstein into a political witch hunt targeting Mr. Black.”
DOJ issues grand jury subpoenas in dueling Dan Sullivans’ Republican Senate saga
Dan J. Sullivan and Sen. Dan S. Sullivan, R-Alaska. AP; Getty Images
The federal investigation related to the dueling Republican Senate candidates in Alaska with the same name has entered a new phase.
A grand jury last week issued subpoenas to compel information from witnesses linked to the campaign of Dan J. Sullivan, a law enforcement official told NBC News.
Dan J. Sullivan, a former schoolteacher who recently registered as a Republican, is under investigation of whether he is part of a conspiracy to confuse voters and steal votes from the incumbent, Dan S. Sullivan, who has been in office since 2015.
The convening of a grand jury and the issuing of subpoenas have not been previously reported. The revelations come on the day polls opened in the closely watched Senate primary.
ICE pitches legal insurance to help shield local officers who make immigration arrests
ICE is pitching a plan to help shield local police officers who make immigration arrests from possible financial consequences if they are accused of on-duty misconduct.
The agency is proposing to subsidize liability insurance for state and local officers who are trained and deputized to enforce federal immigration laws, according to a planning document published Friday.
Challenger Oliver Larkin says going on Fox News has boosted his chances of beating Rep. Jared Moskowitz
Oliver Larkin, the democratic socialist candidate in Florida’s 25th District seeking to unseat Democratic Rep. Jared Moskowitz, told NBC News that he believes he has become more widely known in his district since he appeared on Fox News and engaged with “adversarial conservative media.”
Larkin, who is backed by the Democratic Socialists of America, is not the only socialist-aligned candidate to have appeared on the network recently. Pennsylvania state Rep. Chris Rabb, who won a contested House primary in Philadelphia in May, also recently joined the network, as did a DSA co-chair.
“I think [that] has really shown a lot of people for me as a DSA progressive primary challenger to an incumbent Democrat that I’m also willing to take the fight to the GOP, and that’s what people want to see to keep the seats in November,” he said. “So I think that’s really bolstered confidence in our campaign and really created a permission structure for people to get on board.”
Larkin argued there is no downside for socialists to engage with conservative media, particularly those running in swing districts like him.
“People are really struggling, and I think the Fox News viewers that are watching these programs and looking for answers,” he said. “I think that it’s an opportunity for us to go in and sell our message. ... The reluctance to go on these platforms and the fear about potential blowback might be a little bit overblown. Of course, you need to go in there and be able to make a cogent argument, so I’m not going to say that they’re not trying to paint you as a radical or someone who’s got views that are out of step.”
Moskowitz is favored heading into primary day in South Florida's 25th District, but Larkin said voters who worry that booting Moskowitz on primary day could cost the party in the general election should keep in mind that he’s running in a district he hasn’t previously represented, thanks to redistricting in the state.
“He is swimming upstream against all of the energy in the Democratic Party that wants to abolish ICE, if not put in place strong reforms to rein ICE in,” Larkin said. “Of course, my position is to abolish ICE. He was really instrumental in lending that early bipartisan support for the DOGE caucus to carry out what was effectively Trump’s Project 2025 agenda.”
Vance plans a hometown speech in Ohio as his midterm travel ramps up
Vice President JD Vance will return to his hometown Friday for a speech to kick off what is expected to be a packed travel schedule for him ahead of this year’s midterm elections.
Vance is scheduled to promote the White House agenda at a Cleveland-Cliffs steel plant in Middletown, Ohio, a person familiar with the plans told NBC News. He will be joined by Energy Secretary Chris Wright and elected officials in the state.
Trump appears to repeatedly contradict his own top advisers on the Iran war
Trump has appeared to publicly contradict some of his top advisers on at least three aspects of the war in Iran in recent days, as the conflict continues to affect world oil markets with no clear end in sight.
While the administration has delivered mixed messaging on the conflict almost since the operation began in late February, Trump over the past week has made repeated statements that seem to disagree with his own vice president, secretary of state and son-in-law over the goals and current state of the war.
Democrats uncork $3 million ad push against Mike Rogers in Michigan's Senate race
Democrats playing defense in Michigan’s Senate race have launched a multimillion-dollar ad campaign targeting former Rep. Mike Rogers, the Republican nominee.
The Democratic-aligned Senate Majority PAC, through its WinSenate offshoot, is up with a 30-second spot that portrays Rogers as a Beltway insider who bolted for Florida after he left Congress more than a decade ago.
“You think Washington’s rigged now? Just imagine sending Mike Rogers back,” a narrator says in the ad, which was shared first with NBC News.
“Rogers got so rich,” the narrator continues, “he bought himself a Florida mansion, complete with two luxury yachts, while everyday Michiganders struggle.”
Lauren French, a spokesperson for Senate Majority PAC, said the ad is backed by $3 million worth of statewide TV time, with a digital ad campaign to follow in the coming days.
Rogers, who faces Democrat Abdul El-Sayed in the November general election, narrowly lost a Senate seat to Democrat Elissa Slotkin in 2024. Democrats made Rogers’ Florida home an issue in that race, too.
The winner of this year’s race will succeed Sen. Gary Peters, a Democrat who opted against seeking a third term.
North Carolina auditor held two-hour meeting with conservative election activists amid oversight push
North Carolina State Auditor Dave Boliek, a statewide elected official given appointment authority over election boards, recently met with conservative election activists who have spent years perpetuating unfounded claims of widespread fraud or tried to overturn election results.
U.K. Prime Minister Andy Burnham says he’s not embarrassed about messaging someone impersonating a top Trump aide
British Prime Minister Andy Burnham said today he’s not embarrassed about exchanging messages with someone who impersonated Trump’s White House chief of staff, Susie Wiles.
“No, I’m not, because there was a minimal exchange, nothing of consequence, and actually, quickly I realized that this needed to be reported, and I did so,” Burnham told reporters.
Judge orders release of woman charged with vandalism of World War II Memorial
A federal judge in Washington ruled today that Melissa Farris, the woman facing felony charges in connection with damage to the World War II Memorial, will be released, under strict conditions, while her case proceeds.
The memorial's fountains were filled with bubbles in the Aug. 13 vandalism incident, and a message was scrawled on one of its surfaces: "Clean hands Dirty $."
At a hearing this morning, there was discussion of returning Farris' belongings, including her cellphone and inhaler. Magistrate Judge Matthew Sharbaugh ordered her to return to Ohio by Thursday.
Farris’ public defender said her lack of her inhaler required her to be hospitalized last night.
Sharbaugh said he will give the government until tomorrow to explain why she can’t have her belongings — including her phone — returned.
U.S. says Israeli strikes on Syrian base are ‘unnecessary escalation’
The U.S. special envoy for Syria said Tuesday that Israeli airstrikes on a military airbase in northwestern Syria constitute an “unnecessary escalation” that does not advance regional stability.
In a statement on X, Ambassador Tom Barrack said the United States was deeply concerned concerned by the attacks, and added that Washington was encouraging all parties to prioritize “logical discourse” over further military incidents.
Who is Natalie Harp? Sen. Jon Ossoff puts Trump aide in spotlight
Natalie Harp, a relatively little-known White House aide, has been thrust into the public eye this month over her proximity to Trump and scrutiny from a high-profile Democratic senator.
Here’s a look at her background and her tenure as a White House aide.
Democratic Senate hopeful James Talarico's campaign hires former Cornyn staffer
Texas Democrat James Talarico has made an unusual hire for his Senate campaign: a former top aide to Sen. John Cornyn, R-Texas.
The Talarico campaign confirmed that it had hired Cornyn’s former deputy legislative director Jacob Smith amid a tight race against Republican Ken Paxton, Texas' attorney general. NOTUS first reported the development.
"I’ve worked for Republicans like Senator Cornyn my entire career, but this year I’m proud to be joining James Talarico’s campaign," Smith said in a statement. "Instead of playing partisan politics, Talarico speaks to the needs of everyday people who day in and day out work too hard for too little."
Smith will serve as the campaign's deputy policy director. He said in the statement that he was "encouraging all my fellow Republicans who know Ken Paxton is unfit to serve in the Senate to finally hold him accountable at the ballot box."
Cornyn lost to Ken Paxton in a bitter Republican primary battle after Trump endorsed Paxton.
Trump says the U.S. is not holding talks with Iran, contradicting Jared Kushner
Trump said in a Truth Social post that the U.S. is not holding talks with Iran, contradicting his son-in-law Jared Kushner's remarks yesterday.
"There are no talks or conversations going on, or scheduled, with the Islamic Republic of Iran," Trump said in the post. "The Naval Blockade remains in full force and effect. The Hormuz Strait is open and operating. All water mines have been removed or detonated."
Shipping, however, remains down significantly since the war began.
Kushner, who has been a prominent player in the administration's peace efforts across the region, said in a Fox News interview yesterday that "conversations between the U.S. government and different areas of the Iranian government at all areas is probably more robust than it’s maybe ever been."
"And so there’s been a lot of good dialogues, which I think is very, very helpful," he said.
Trump administration can proceed with paint tests on Eisenhower Executive Office Building, judge says
This morning, U.S. District Judge Dabney L. Friedrich denied a preliminary injunction to block the Trump administration from performing paint tests on the Eisenhower Executive Office Building before planned renovations.
Preservationists had asked the court to block the tests while they challenge the legality of the administration's plan to paint the 19th-century building, which sits next to the White House, a stark white. The preservation groups argue that the paint would irreversibly damage the building's gray granite, cost millions of dollars and require periodic touch-ups.
Friedrich said today that the testing, which will be done on a limited section of the building that is not visible to the public, will not violate the plaintiffs’ procedural rights or increase likelihood of injury to the historic building. Parties will be required to file joint status reports detailing updates to the project.
The Eisenhower Executive Office Building in Washington. Aaron Schwartz / Bloomberg via Getty Images file
Trump posts image of Strait of Hormuz labeled 'new U.S. territory'
Trump posted an image this morning of a map of the Strait of Hormuz with the label "new U.S. territory."
Trump in recent days has floated the idea of taking over the strait and making it a territory. Asked about it yesterday, Trump said, "I just think it’s a great idea."
"We have a blockade. We control it with the blockade," the president said. "And I like the idea of declaring it a territory."
Control of the vital shipping route is a major point of contention in the war with Iran, with transit slowing to a crawl as Iran has fired on ships.
Trump has repeatedly talked about taking over the property of other nations, including suggesting Canada should become the 51st U.S. state and calling for the U.S. acquisition of Greenland, a self-governing territory of Denmark.
Trump votes by mail again, despite calling mail-in voting 'cheating'
Trump voted by mail in the Florida primary, despite the president having called mail-in voting "cheating" and "corrupt." Politico first reported the development.
White House spokesperson Olivia Wales defended the move, saying in a statement, "As President Trump has said, the SAVE America Act has commonsense exceptions for Americans to use mail-in ballots for illness, disability, military, or travel — but universal mail-in voting should not be allowed because it’s highly susceptible to fraud."
There is no evidence of widespread voter fraud or that mail-in voting is "highly susceptible to fraud."
"As everyone knows, the President is a resident of Palm Beach and participates in Florida elections, but he obviously primarily lives at the White House in Washington, D.C.," she added. "This is a non-story."
Trump was most recently in Florida at the beginning of May. Trump previously cast a mail-in ballot in Florida in March this year and in 2020.
The president has repeatedly pushed for the SAVE America Act to limit mail-in voting, "except for illness, disability, military or travel."
Days ago, Trump called mail-in voting "crooked as hell" as he pushed for the SAVE America Act. Also this month, he has called mail-in voting "corrupt."
Last August, he called on Republicans to "BAN MAIL-IN VOTING!!!" in a Truth Social post. In a separate post that same month, he wrote, "END MAIL-IN VOTING, AND GO TO PAPER BALLOTS." He also wrote "I am going to lead a movement to get rid of MAIL-IN BALLOTS" and claimed that "ELECTIONS CAN NEVER BE HONEST WITH MAIL IN BALLOTS/VOTING."
'Median Strategies Polling' retracts releases and says it was 'created as a short-term social experiment'
The purported polling firm Median Strategies Polling announced it was "created as a short-term social experiment" and withdrew all polling releases.
"All previously published polling releases have been withdrawn and should not be cited or treated as genuine polling data," its website said. "Median Strategies was created as a short-term social experiment examining how purported polling information could enter and spread through the political information ecosystem without independent verification."
The site reportedly released fake polls on races such as those for Los Angeles' mayor and Wisconsin's governor. The Los Angeles Times reported that the fake Wisconsin gubernatorial poll indicated democratic socialist Francesca Hong was up by more than 20 percentage points. She lost to Milwaukee County Executive David Crowley.
Congressional Democrats urge Trump to undo order on childhood vaccines
Democrats in both chambers are calling on Trump to rescind his executive order that aims to reduce the number of universally recommended vaccines for children and separate the MMR vaccine into individual shots.
In a letter shared first with NBC News, Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., and Sen. Michael Bennet, D-Colo., were joined by 22 other Democrats in the Senate and 67 in the House, led by Rep. Kim Schrier, D-Wash., to say that Trump's order from earlier this month “overrides decades of scientific evidence and sows fear, chaos, and confusion.”
The letter was sent last night.
The stakes are particularly high, the lawmakers wrote, as measles cases in the U.S. this year are already higher than the annual totals recorded in any of the last 35 years.
“The result will not be safer or healthier children; it will be a continued decline in vaccination rates, recurring disease outbreaks, higher healthcare costs, and school disruptions that cause learning loss,” they wrote.
The lawmakers called the order part of Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s effort to overhaul the childhood vaccine schedule, a move they said “defies medical evidence and places additional burdens on families.”
Kennedy this month said the order is meant to give parents more choices. Democrats, in the letter, said each day the order remains in effect, “more children go without the vaccines that would protect them, additional outbreaks become more likely, and lives are put at risk.”
Criticism of the order has extended beyond just Democrats: Sen. Bill Cassidy, R-La., who chairs the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee, wrote on X that the order is “wrong” and the president “does not have the expertise to make these changes.”
Cassidy, a physician, was a key vote in installing Kennedy as health secretary. Since Kennedy's confirmation, Cassidy and Democrats in Congress have repeatedly spoken out against his vaccine agenda.
The Democratic lawmakers did not ask Cassidy or any other Republicans to sign onto the letter.
What to watch in redistricted Florida
Florida, which holds its primaries today, is crucial to any hope Republicans have of retaining House control next year. And while a mid-decade redistricting push in the state led by Gov. Ron DeSantis gives the GOP four clear chances to flip Democratic-held seats, realizing these gerrymandered gains isn’t automatic.
The Dan Sullivan saga, redistricting results and more: What to watch in Tuesday’s primaries
A same-name saga in a critical Senate battleground race and redistricting fallout in another major state will be on the ballot in today’s primaries.
Voters will head to the polls for primaries in Alaska, Florida and Wyoming, while California’s 14th District will pick a replacement for Democratic former Rep. Eric Swalwell, who resigned earlier this year.
