Election highlights: Rep. Thomas Massie goes down in Kentucky as 6 states hold primaries

The GOP-controlled South Carolina House approved a redrawn congressional map tonight that would carve up the state's only majority-Black district.

The proposal, which would also delay South Carolina's June 9 House primaries to August, heads next to the state Senate.

By targeting the seat represented by longtime Democratic Rep. James Clyburn, Republicans are seeking to put themselves in position to have full control of South Carolina's congressional delegation.

South Carolina is one of several Southern states that have moved to enact new congressional district lines after the U.S. Supreme Court's ruling that weakened the Voting Rights Act last month.

Jim Kingston wins the Republican primary for Georgia's 1st Congressional District, NBC News projects.

See the latest results here.

Christine Drazan wins the Republican primary for Oregon governor, NBC News projects.

See the latest results here.

NBC News projects that Justice Charles Bethel has won the Georgia race for state Supreme Court, beating Miracle Rankin.

See the latest results here.

Doug Jones talks November faceoff with Tommy Tuberville for Alabama governor

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Democratic former Sen. Doug Jones spoke with NBC News’ Hallie Jackson and Kristen Welker about his rematch against Republican Sen. Tommy Tuberville — this time in the Alabama governor’s race.

Houston Gaines wins the Republican primary for Georgia's 10th Congressional District, NBC News projects.

See the latest results here.

Polls in Oregon are closed at 11 p.m. ET.

Polls in most of Malheur County closed at 10 p.m. ET.

Polls in Northern Idaho closed at 11 p.m. ET.

Polls in the southern part of the state closed an hour ago.

Derek Dooley campaign spokesman Connor Whitney confirmed to NBC News that Buddy Carter conceded the runoff spot to Dooley in a phone call this evening.

Carter campaign spokesperson Porter Null also confirmed that Carter conceded the primary.

NBC News has not yet projected who will be the second candidate to advance to the Georgia GOP Senate runoff against Rep. Mike Collins.

Georgia is a competitive state now. We’ve seen this trend now over the last decade or so in this Atlanta metro area. The Democrats have been doing — they didn’t do quite as well as they were wanted in 2024 — but overall there’s a very pronounced Democratic trend in the Atlanta suburbs.

Here, the Democrats are thinking one of these years is going to tip the state more from a little bit more Republican friendly into a little bit more Democratic friendly. There are Democrats who say Georgia long term could be on a political and demographic trajectory, at least they hope, that's similar to Virginia.

Twenty years ago we used to think of Virginia as a red state. Demographics changed the population toward the Washington, D.C. metro area, and Democrats think that the Atlanta metro area could do something similar for them here in Georgia in the long term.

Chris Rabb wins the Democratic primary for Pennsylvania's 3rd Congressional District, NBC News projects.

See the latest results here.

Jasmine Clark wins the Democratic primary for Georgia's 13th Congressional District, NBC News projects.

See the latest results here.

It's going to be a longer night looking at Georgia's races, as we've been told that we shouldn't expect any results from Fulton County until after 11 p.m. ET.

One polling site in Fulton County had to close earlier today because of police activity in the area. It was what was described as a soft lockdown at a Sandy Springs facility north of Atlanta. The site was closed for about four hours, meaning it will now remain open until 11:02 p.m. ET. Officials from Fulton County have told us they won't report any data about races from the county until the site is closed.

Now, when you look at the Republican Senate race that we've been covering here, as we're at Mike Collins' campaign headquarters tonight, you sort of wonder how much of that county, which includes Atlanta, would affect a Republican Senate primary.

We're talking about significant numbers. It is the largest county population-wise in the state, and we do estimate from our Decision Desk that 58,000 votes could be outstanding at this point in the Republican Senate primary. And so we wait.

While we've already called the race in terms of knowing that Collins will advance to the runoff, Fulton County's votes will play a big part in whether it's Derek Dooley or Earl Carter who earns the spot in the runoff against him.

The first batches of polls in Idaho — those in southern Idaho — closed at 10 p.m. ET.

Polls in the northern part of the state are open for another hour.

Former state Rep. Charles Booker has won the Democratic Senate primary in Kentucky, NBC News projects.

Booker, who was the party's nominee against GOP Sen. Rand Paul in 2022, defeated former Marine fighter pilot Amy McGrath, who lost to Republican Sen. Mitch McConnell in the 2020 general election.

Booker will face Trump-backed Rep. Andy Barr in the fall.

See the latest results here.

Doug Jones wins the Democratic primary for Alabama governor, NBC News projects.

See the latest results here.

Fulton County, Georgia’s largest county, will delay reporting its election results until after 11:02 p.m. ET after a judge extended voting hours in two precincts, state elections officials said.

Two precincts at a school in the Sandy Springs area in northern Atlanta remained open past the scheduled poll closing time of 7 p.m. after they were shut down earlier in the day for four hours because of a "multiagency law enforcement response." The incident involved Sandy Springs police, the FBI and other agencies, officials said.

The officials said state law prevents the county from reporting any results until all polls have closed.

Bob Brooks wins the Democratic primary for Pennsylvania's 7th Congressional District, NBC News projects. He'll face Republican Rep. Ryan Mackenzie in a key battleground race.

See the latest results here.

Rep. Ro Khanna, D-Calif., who spearheaded the Epstein Files Transparency Act alongside Massie, said in a video tonight on social media that Massie lost “because he had the guts to take on the Epstein class.”

“I’m angered by the smears on his character,” Khanna said.

Rep. Ro Khanna, D-Calif., on Monday. Andrew Harnik / Getty Images

In a caption accompanying his video, Khanna wrote: “We will build a movement to stand for Team America.”

“You may not have a home in the Trump coalition, but there is a new generation of populist Democrats, and we welcome you to help us change this country, change the rotten system, and have a politics that puts the working class ahead of the Epstein class,” Khanna said.

Ralph Alvarado wins the Republican primary for Kentucky's 6th Congressional District, NBC News projects, where GOP Rep. Andy Barr is running for the Senate.

See the latest results here.

In Georgia’s Republican primary for secretary of state, state Rep. Tim Fleming and Vernon Jones, a Trump ally, will advance to a June runoff, NBC News projects.

Fleming and Jones will face off June 16 after no candidate in the crowded primary won more than 50%. 

The GOP field vying to succeed Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger — who unsuccessfully ran for governor this year — also included Gabriel Sterling, the chief operating officer in the Georgia secretary of state’s office, who emerged as a public face of the harassment and threats election officials faced following Trump’s efforts to overturn the results of the 2020 presidential election.

Tommy Tuberville wins the Republican primary for Alabama governor, NBC News projects.

See the latest results here.

Massie ended his concession speech on a forward-looking note, saying, “We’re just getting started.”

“What happened today, what happened tonight, was God’s will. And we have to figure out what was the purpose of having the biggest fight ever,” he said.

Rep. Thomas Massie, R-Ky., speaks after losing the Republican party's nomination. Carolyn Kaster / AP

“Why did it converge on one of 435 congressional seats, right here in Kentucky? What was God’s purpose? What is he showing us tonight?” he asked the crowd.

“We’re just getting started,” one of Massie’s supporters yelled out in response.

“We’re just getting started. I like that!” Massie said.

NBC News projects that incumbent Sarah Warren, who was first appointed by a Republican governor, has won re-election to the Georgia Supreme Court, beating Democratic-backed Jen Jordan.

See the latest results here.

Janelle Stelson wins the Democratic primary for Pennsylvania's 10th Congressional District, NBC News projects.

See the latest results here.

Gallrein tonight offered praise for Trump during a speech celebrating his victory over Massie in Kentucky's 4th Congressional District.

Gallrein praises 'courageous' Trump in Kentucky primary victory speech

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"I want to thank President Trump for his support, his endorsement, and his counsel as I navigated this campaign, which is a journey of unto itself, and for his courageous leadership of our nation at this critical time," Gallrein said to a crowd of his supporters.

"The winner of the race tonight is not so much Ed Gallrein, I’ll come back to that, but it’s the Republicans of Kentucky congressional district four and their families, who I will be a champion for in Washington," the Navy veteran said. "They’re the winners."

Massie said he called Ed Gallrein to concede their race, saying, “We’ve been honorable, and we’re going to stay that way.”

“Welcome to the most expensive congressional primary ever in the 250-year history of this country. It’s not just the most expensive; this thing went on longer than Vietnam,” Massie said. “It started nine months ago, and they didn’t even have a candidate, and they decided they wanted to take me out.”

Massie, speaking to chants of his last name, “USA” and “no more wars,” said he stirred up a movement.

“There is a yearning in this country for somebody who will vote for principles over party,” Massie said.

Massie concedes Kentucky House primary to Gallrein: 'We've been honorable'

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Bob Harvie wins the Democratic primary for Pennsylvania's 1st Congressional District, NBC News projects.

See the latest results here.

Thomas Massie's election night headquarters today. Julie Tsirkin / NBC News

As Massie's election night headquarters, chants of "Massie for president!" broke out across the room after he gave his concession speech.

Georgia Lt. Gov. Burt Jones and billionaire Rick Jackson will advance to a June runoff in the state’s Republican primary for governor, NBC News projects.

The head-to-head contest will pit two candidates against each other who have aggressively vied for the support of Trump’s base in Georgia. Jones has Trump’s official endorsement, but Jackson, a billionaire healthcare executive who shook up the race with his unexpected entrance this year, has painted himself in the mold of Trump.

Georgia GOP governor primary advances to runoff, NBC News projects

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Jones and Jackson will face off June 16 after no candidate in today's crowded primary won more than 50%. The field vying to succeed term-limited GOP Gov. Brian Kemp also included Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger and state Attorney General Chris Carr.

Trump endorsed Jones just weeks after he launched his campaign, and many of his TV ads have highlighted that support.

Read the full story here.

Asked what Gallrein’s victory would mean tonight for Trump, a senior Trump official told NBC News, “It means the president keeps his commitments.”

Trump has been watching this race so closely, posting on Truth Social, posting on X, trying to get people motivated to go out to the polls to defeat Massie. I remember when I was here in March for an event Trump held in Kentucky where he introduced Gallrein to voters. He was a political unknown, and Trump said, "I asked for a warm body, give me a warm body that could beat Massie."

Ed Gallrein beats Rep. Thomas Massie in Kentucky primary, NBC News projects

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This is not your traditional Republican area; there are a lot of libertarians here, a lot of independent voters, and this is really the battleground for old MAGA vs. new MAGA. Voters have told me they didn't vote for certain actions Trump has taken, such as the war in Iran's adding to the deficit. These are things that voters found unacceptable, and yet we still have this result tonight here in Kentucky, where Trump has appeared to put his thumb on the scale and be victorious at that.

Incumbent Josh Shapiro wins the Democratic primary for Pennsylvania governor, NBC News projects.

See the latest results here.

Polls in Pennsylvania are closed at 8 p.m. ET.

Polls in Alabama are closed at 8 p.m. ET.

Ed Gallrein wins the Republican primary for Kentucky's 4th Congressional District, NBC News projects.

See the latest results here.

As the polls close and data starts to come in, we know that a million people in Georgia voted early across the different ballots that are available here.

That is a record number of early voters for a primary election in which turnout tends to be a bit lower. So we'll see whether that is a tell about anything in terms of who ends up getting most of the votes in all of the different races here.

There are so many independent voters here in Kentucky. So this isn't your typical area where Trump could have the kind of intended effect he wants to. Still, up until two hours before the polls close, we saw posts from Trump trying to rally people to show up and vote for Ed Gallrein.

This is the most expensive House primary in history. When I talked to Rep. Thomas Massie a couple of days ago, he said this isn't about him or his opponent; this is about him and him only. People either went to the polls to support him or they went to the polls to oppose him.

Voters cast their ballots in Crestwood, Ky., today. Jon Cherry / Getty Images

One thing that I was blown away by in this area are the number of people who told me that they voted for Trump three times, in some cases, and that they would oppose him if he were on the ballot again. Of course, he won't be, but they don't like the pressure campaign that they saw from him. These are people who are independent thinkers in the commonwealth of Kentucky, and they don't want to be told what to do.

Andy Barr wins the Republican Senate primary in Kentucky, NBC News projects.

See the latest results here.

Georgia polls are closed at 7 p.m. ET.

All polls in Kentucky are now closed at 7 p.m. ET.

Polls in the eastern part of the state closed at 6 p.m. ET.

Stewart Rhodes, the founder of the far-right Oath Keepers who was sentenced to 18 years in prison in connection with the Jan. 6, 2021 attack on the Capitol, was at Massie's campaign headquarters tonight.

Rhodes was pardoned and released from prison last year following Trump’s pardons to hundreds of Jan. 6 defendants.

Ivan Raiklin, a pro-Trump activist who has repeatedly denied the results of the 2020 election, was also at Massie's headquarters tonight as a “special guest.”

The Senate voted 50-47 today to move forward with a resolution to force Trump to end the war in Iran, a breakthrough for the Democratic-led effort.

Sen. Bill Cassidy, R-La., who just lost his primary for renomination over the weekend after he faced opposition from Trump, voted to advance the measure, the first time he has done so after repeatedly having voted “no.”

Sen. Bill Cassidy, R-La., at the U.S. Capitol today. Bill Clark / CQ-Roll Call via Getty Images

“While I support the administration’s efforts to dismantle Iran’s nuclear program, the White House and Pentagon have left Congress in the dark on Operation Epic Fury,” Cassidy said in a statement. “In Louisiana, I’ve heard from people, including President Trump’s supporters, who are concerned about this war. Until the administration provides clarity, no congressional authorization or extension can be justified.”

The other Republicans who crossed party lines to support the procedural motion were Rand Paul of Kentucky, Lisa Murkowski of Alaska and Susan Collins of Maine, all of whom have voted aye before.

Read the full story here.

After Trump's endorsement of Paxton today, Cornyn said Paxton "would be an albatross around the neck of our candidates."

"Well, you know, we’ve always had these family fights within the Republican Party, and then we unify in order to win the election in November, and we’ll do that again," Cornyn told reporters in Lubbock, Texas.

"But I believe that in terms of our success in November that Ken Paxton would be an albatross around the neck of our candidates and would likely lose to James Talarico," he continued, referring to the Democratic nominee for the Senate seat. "I think we’ve come too far and worked too hard to risk that."

Trump endorsed Paxton weeks after he first faced off with Cornyn in the Texas Senate primary race on March 3. After neither candidate took home a majority of the vote, Cornyn, who is in his fourth term, will be up against Paxton again in a runoff next week.

Polls in the eastern part of Kentucky closed at 6 p.m. ET.

Polls in other parts of the state are open for another hour.

Paxton said this afternoon that Trump "has his reasons" for waiting until a week before the runoff in the Texas Senate Republican primary to give his endorsement, adding that he had to consider Cornyn's influence in the Senate.

"I mean, the president has his reasons. He’s got bigger fish fry than just one race. He is considering the good of the whole country; I get that," Paxton said on Fox News in his first interview since he received Trump's endorsement today.

Paxton pointed to Cornyn's longtime connections in the Senate, where he has represented Texas since 2002.

"So it’s not just about one race or just about me. This is about doing what’s best for the country, and he needs to get legislation passed," Paxton said. "I don’t have a vote in the U.S. Senate right now. I will, but I don’t have one now, and John Cornyn does."

Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche signed an agreement today declaring the federal government will not seek any sort of audit or payment from Trump, his family members and companies as part of Trump’s settlement agreement with the IRS.

In a sweeping one-page addendum to yesterday's settlement agreement establishing a nearly $1.8 billion “anti-weaponization” fund, Blanche agreed that the U.S. is “FOREVER BARRED and PRECLUDED from prosecuting or pursuing, any and all claims” including “monetary relief” that “have been or could have been” asserted by the IRS against Trump, his family or his businesses.

The addendum comes a day after the Justice Department announced that Trump and his co-plaintiffs would drop their $10 billion suit against the IRS in connection with the 2022 search of Mar-a-Lago, his Florida home, and the Russian collusion scandal “in exchange” for creating the fund, which the Justice Department said set up a “systematic process to hear and redress claims of others who suffered weaponization and lawfare.”

Read the full story here.

Sen. Josh Hawley, R-Mo., doubled down on his support for banning presidents — along with other federal officials — from trading individual stocks.

Sen. Josh Hawley, R-Mo., in 2025. Tom Williams / CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images file

“I’d be in favor of a uniform rule for everybody,” Hawley told NBC News when he was asked about a recent filing that showed Trump made thousands of stock trades in recent months.

Read the full story here.

A slew of Republican senators expressed disappointment to NBC News about Trump’s endorsement of Paxton over Cornyn in the Texas Senate runoff this afternoon.

Sen. Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, told reporters as she entered the Senate GOP closed-door lunch that she was “supremely disappointed" and that Trump's decision "puts that seat in jeopardy.”

Sen. John Cornyn; Ken Paxton.  Getty Images

“He is an ethically challenged individual,” Sen. Susan Collins, R-Maine, said of Paxton. “John Cornyn is an outstanding senator and deserved, in my judgment, the president’s support.”

“I’m speechless,” Sen. Ron Johnson, R-Wis., told NBC News.

In a one-page addendum to yesterday's settlement agreement between the Internal Revenue Service and the Trump administration, the Justice Department is greatly expanding the terms of the agreement. 

The new text, signed by Blanche, states broadly that the government is “forever barred” and “precluded” from prosecuting or pursuing “any and all claims” that “have been or could have been” asserted by the IRS against Trump, his family, or his businesses — including anything related to the president’s tax returns. 

The Justice Department did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the expansion of the agreement. 

Progressives are cautiously optimistic that they can capture the nomination for a congressional seat in Philadelphia in a race against the Democratic Party’s center-left establishment today. 

It would give the insurgent left a third high-profile primary win in the last year, following New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani’s defeat of former Gov. Andrew Cuomo and Rep. Analilla Mejia’s victory in New Jersey’s 11th Congressional District.

Read the full story here.

Several Georgia voters who cast ballots in the state's primary today told NBC News outside their polling place in Jackson that they care the most about high gas prices and the economy.

Carolyn Jester voted in the Democratic primary and said that she voted for Keisha Lance Bottoms for governor. Asked to identify her top issues, she said, "Oh my god, do you not see this economy? Do you not see the state that we’re in? Do you not see that people are struggling, even though we’re working every day, and we’re still struggling?"

Incoming Federal Reserve Chair Kevin Warsh on May 16 received a certificate of divestiture for most of his financial holdings, ahead of his swearing-in at the White House on Friday. 

The certification shows that Warsh divested “100%” of multiple funds that were identified in an earlier ethics agreement as holdings that should be sold, according to a letter shared with NBC News by the Office of Government Ethics. The divestitures disclosed are worth at least $100 million.

Kevin Warsh on April 21. Graeme Sloan / Bloomberg via Getty Images

However, the contents of these funds remain confidential, which was a flashpoint during Warsh’s Senate confirmation hearing. In an earlier letter to the Office of Government Ethics, Warsh wrote that “preexisting confidentiality agreements barred me from identifying the underlying holdings of these entities in my financial disclosure report.” While this is commonplace for financial instruments at hedge funds, Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., and others pressed Warsh on details of these in his hearings to no avail.

The letter obtained today also shows that Warsh’s spouse, Jane Lauder — of Estee Lauder family fame — also sold her shares in an exchange-traded fund that tracks large Canadian companies. While it is not disclosed when the sale took place, at today’s market prices it would have been worth more than $7 million.

Vice President JD Vance told reporters at today's White House press briefing that Trump “doesn’t sit at the Oval Office on his computer on his like Robinhood account, buying and selling stocks. That’s absurd.”

“He has independent wealth advisors who manage his money,” Vance said. “He is a wealthy person. He has had success in business. He’s not making these stock trades himself.”

Vance did not say whether he believes presidents and vice presidents should be barred from trading individual stocks but said he and Trump support banning members of Congress from doing so.

“All of us believe that nobody should be taking proprietary information gained from public service and buying and selling stocks,” he said. “We want to ban that process, and I think the way to lead by example is banning that process, banning that approach, and making it illegal, which is exactly what the president has proposed doing.”

The vice president said "anybody can apply" to get money from the $1.8 billion “anti-weaponization fund” the Justice Department is setting up as part of a deal with the president — and offered two hypothetical possibilities.

"I mean, if Hunter Biden wants to apply for this particular fund, he is welcome to," Vance said, referring to former President Joe Biden's son, who was convicted on federal criminal charges while his father was in office. Biden later pardoned him.

"It's going to go through a normal process where we vet everything, where we try to identify whether people's claims are actually legitimate," he said, adding the Trump family won't benefit from the fund. "The people that would get the money are people, some of whom have been prosecuted completely disproportionate to any crime they've ever committed."

He then pointed to Tina Peters, a former Colorado county clerk and 2020 election denier who was sentenced to nine years behind bars for tampering with election equipment. Gov. Jared Polis announced last week he was commuting her sentence.

Rep. Wesley Hunt, R-Texas, who also ran in the Texas Senate GOP race but failed to advance to the runoff, said he is following Trump's lead and endorsing Paxton too.

"To EVERY supporter who believed in what we fought for, I am now asking you to unite behind the next United States Senator from Texas, @KenPaxtonTX," Hunt said in a post to X. "He has the total and complete endorsement of President Donald Trump, and he has mine as well."

Vance said at the White House briefing that he thinks Iran wants to make a deal with the U.S., but sometimes it's not "totally clear what the negotiating position" of the Iranian team is.

"I don’t know if that’s sometimes bad communication. ... It’s sometimes hard to figure out exactly what it is that the Iranians want to accomplish out of the negotiation," the vice president told reporters. "What we’ve done is tried to be as clear as possible. What are our red lines?"

Vance reiterated that the deal must prevent Iran from getting a nuclear weapon.

He also said he thinks "Iranians want to make a deal" and added, "What I think is that the Iranians recognize that a nuclear weapon is the red line for the United States of America, that they've internalized that, but we're not going to know until we're actually putting pen to paper on signing a deal."

Vance says U.S. has been 'as clear as possible' with Iran during negotiations

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During the White House press briefing, Vance said that Paxton had been there for the U.S. and Trump "when it really counted."

The vice president said that "we think Ken Paxton is gonna be a great senator for the people of Texas, but most importantly, a great United States senator."

"I've known John Cornyn for a long time, but unfortunately, when it really counted, Ken Paxton was there for the country, was there for the president, and that's why he ultimately earned the president's endorsement," Vance added. "He thinks he's going to be a better senator, he thinks he's going to make a better candidate."

In a post on social media, Cornyn responded to Trump's endorsement of Paxton in Texas' Senate race and urged Republican voters to stick with him instead of the "weak" Paxton.

“I have worked closely with President Trump through both of his Presidential terms and voted with him more than 99% of the time. He has consistently called me a friend in this race," he said in a post on X, while not explicitly acknowledging that Trump is now backing his opponent in the runoff race.

Cornyn said he's the more electable candidate in the general election, and that voting for Paxton would help Democrat James Talarico.

"It is now time for Texas Republican voters to decide if they want a strong nominee to help our GOP candidates down ballot and defeat Talarico in November, or a weak nominee who jeopardizes everything we care about," he wrote. "I trust the Republican voters of Texas.”

Vice President JD Vance is set to hold a White House press briefing shortly. This is the second briefing since White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt went on maternity leave and follows Secretary of State Marco Rubio’s briefing two weeks ago.

Trump told reporters outside the White House earlier today that the situation surrounding rising gasoline prices "is very temporary" but necessary.

"Everything's going good. I'm sorry, but we have to go down and take a little journey down to — we have to do something with Iran," the president said when asked about any measures he was taking to lower gas prices. "We cannot let them have a nuclear weapon. You want to see the world exploded?"

"And this is peanuts, and I appreciate everybody putting up with it for a little while," he added.

Trump then appeared to echo his earlier controversial comments about being focused on the war with Iran instead of Americans' financial situations.

"What I think about is you can’t let Iran have a nuclear weapon, and they won’t have a nuclear weapon, and they fully understand it," he said.

Joseph Russo, a Georgia voter, said he cast his ballot for Derek Dooley in the GOP Senate primary, and for Lt. Gov. Burt Jones in the GOP gubernatorial primary. Trump has endorsed Jones, and Gov. Brian Kemp endorsed Dooley.

Russo described Dooley as "a hometown boy." Asked whether it mattered to him that Trump hasn't weighed in on the Senate primary, Russo said that "it's always nice to get the boss man's A-OK, but I don't listen to anybody, whether it's Trump or Biden."

Ricky Jennings, another Georgian who voted in the Republican primary, said he did not vote in the Senate primary because he wasn't "too sure."

"I can't pick one," he said. "It's too many running."

Shalonda Spencer, who voted in the Democratic primary, said she voted for former state Sen. Jason Esteves in the Democratic gubernatorial primary. She said she was originally planning to support former Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms, "but she didn't do a lot of campaigning, and I wasn't sure that the people would rally around her."

Virginia Gov. Abigail Spanberger said she'll be issuing an executive order tomorrow dealing with potential voter intimidation by federal agents at polling places and other public spaces.

Speaking at a conference hosted by the Center for American Progress, a progressive think tank, the Democratic governor said the executive order will ensure that her administration is putting out state-level guidance across public spaces, including polling places, on "how Virginia state employees or people working in support of Virginia's state-run elections can react to, in this particular case, federal agents who might be appearing at a location where the worry is that they're principally there to intimidate or scare people."

"Throughout history, we have seen efforts at intimidating voters," she added. "My worry is that we will continue to see those heightened. ... The reality is that the challenges and the fear that people might have when going to the polling place is real."

A Spanberger spokesperson did not return a request for additional details.

Read the full story here.

Trump endorsed Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton for Senate, dealing a massive political blow to longtime Sen. John Cornyn as he faces off against Paxton in an upcoming Republican primary runoff.

Cornyn and Paxton advanced to a May 26 runoff after neither candidate won a majority of the vote in the March 3 primary, with the four-term senator narrowly ahead of Paxton, 42%-41%. The nominee will take on Democrat James Talarico in the fall.

Read the full story here.

Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., told reporters this morning he’s “not a big fan” of the DOJ's "anti-weaponization" fund, saying he expects the Senate Appropriations Committee could “litigate” the fund, which would get “a full vetting.”

“I don’t know what that looks like at the moment, but I guess my assumption is that, based on some of the blowback that’s come since this was announced, that there would be a significant amount of attention paid to it,” Thune said.

Trump will join Rep. Mike Lawler, R-N.Y., at an event in Rockland County this Friday, Lawler’s office confirmed to NBC News. 

This is an official event, not a campaign stop, according to Lawler’s office. Lawler is facing a competitive re-election fight this fall. The Cook Political Report rated his Westchester-area seat a toss-up.

The Senate Homeland Security Committee voted along party lines, 8-5, to report their half of the ICE and Border Patrol funding bill to the full Senate.

This portion of the bill did not include the $1 billion proposed funding for the White House ballroom, which is intended to replace the old East Wing.

The ballroom funding is expected to be added to the bill when it makes its way to the Senate floor.

Democrats failed to add 57 amendments to strip various parts of the bill or add various guardrails to the funding.

Committee Chairman Rand Paul, R-Ky., repeatedly said that he was advised by the Budget Committee that the Democrats' amendments did not comply with the reconciliation process, which allows bills involving taxes and government spending to pass with a simple majority instead of the 60 votes needed to overcome a filibuster.

The president invited reporters out to view the construction of the White House ballroom, which he called his "gift to the country" despite the administration seeking $1 billion in additional funding from Congress for it.

"This is a gift. It’s not being paid for by the taxpayer," he said, referring to the $400 million he says he's raised to pay for the new ballroom at the site of the old East Wing of the White House.

Asked about the $1 billion his administration has asked for, he said that was the Secret Service and the military, who "want to enhance" security. "They're going to spend money," he said. He touted the work that's already being done underground, which he said includes a military hospital and other facilities that he said go as many as six stories underground.

"It's all knit together," he said.

At the DOJ budget hearing, Blanche told the appropriations subcommittee that he could not say whether Trump would suggest who he should appoint to the commission in charge of the DOJ's new "anti-weaponization" fund.

Sen. Jack Reed, D-R.I., called the creation of the nearly $1.8 billion settlement fund after Trump dropped his lawsuit against the IRS "an obvious abuse of power" and said he thought Trump would "make suggestions" to Blanche about who the commissioners should be.

"He will make suggestions to you," Reed asserted.

"I have no idea if he will or not," Blanche answered.

"I would be shocked if he didn't tell you exactly who to put on, and I'd be more shocked if you did not put them on," Reed then said.

The president, while speaking to reporters about his ballroom project, said he will make an endorsement in the heated Republican Senate runoff contest in Texas later today.

"Going to make an endorsement around 12:30-1 o'clock," Trump said. "I hope you find it good."

Sen. John Cornyn is facing state Attorney General Ken Paxton in next week's runoff. Trump did not make an endorsement during the initial primary.

"I've pretty much always known who I was going to endorse" and "think it's a good time" to do so, he said.

Sen. Patty Murray, D-Wash., said the DOJ's "anti-weaponization" fund is "nothing short of the sitting president of the United States looting from the Treasury for his own gain."

"Do you seriously think this arrangement is appropriate?" she asked. "The president telling the federal government to settle a case and let him pay billions to the people that he chooses?"

Blanche argued that Murray's description is not what is happening with the nearly $1.8 billion settlement fund.

Murray said Trump "has set up a slush fund, however you want to say that it got set up, and he literally will get to choose through his handpicked appointees who gets paid that fund."

The acting attorney general argued that Trump did not set up the fund, which he also said is "not a slush fund." Blanche, who was appointed by Trump, has said he will select the commissioners who will oversee the fund.

Repeating the thrust of questions from other Democratic senators, Sen. Jeff Merkley, D-Ore., asked Blanche whether he would encourage the "anti-weaponization" fund commissioners to ensure anyone convicted of committing violence against police officers would not receive money.

"I will definitely encourage the commissioners to take everything into account when determining who should get compensation," he said after noting that the commissioners in charge of disbursing money from the fund would establish related rules.

Pressed again on whether he thinks those people should receive compensation, Blanche said, "My feelings don't matter, senator, in my mind."

Sen. Chris Coons, D-Del., asked Blanche whether he would commit that none of the money from the "anti-weaponization" fund would go toward Trump's campaign donors.

Blanche responded, "I am not committing to anything beyond the settlement agreement itself," adding that campaign donors are not excluded from seeking funds.

Coons said he heard from law enforcement friends who were concerned about the possibility that members of the far-right Oath Keepers and Proud Boys who assaulted Capitol police officers on Jan. 6 could receive payouts.

"Will you commit that no one who has been convicted of assaulting a police officer will receive a payout from this fund?" Coons asked.

"I share the concerns that apparently members of law enforcement gave to you last week, although none of this was announced last week, so that's surprising," Blanche said, prompting Coons to say they had heard rumors of a settlement.

Blanche repeated that "anybody can apply."

"The commissioners will set rules, I'm sure," he said. "That's not for me to set."

'Anybody can apply': Blanche pressed over who can get compensation from DOJ fund

01:15

Sen. Chris Van Hollen, D-Md., called the nearly $1.8 billion "anti-weaponization" fund that the DOJ announced yesterday an "outrageous, unprecedented slush fund."

Van Hollen challenged Blanche on whether Jan. 6 rioters who assaulted police officers would be eligible for payouts from the fund.

Blanche answered that anyone can apply if they believe they were a victim of weaponization.

"I would hope you would make a rule that anyone convicted of assaulting a police officer of violent crime is simply not eligible," Van Hollen said.

Sen. Chris Van Hollen, the top Democrat on the subcommittee holding a hearing with Blanche, blasted the acting attorney general in his opening statement, saying he has "clear conflicts of interest" because of his prior work as a personal lawyer for Trump.

Van Hollen criticized Blanche's handling of the Epstein files and yesterday's announcement of a nearly $1.8 billion "anti-weaponization" fund, which Van Hollen characterized as a "slush fund" to give taxpayer money to Trump supporters.

"Mr. Blanche, the record is crystal clear: You are still acting as the president's personal lawyer, not as acting attorney general," Van Hollen said. "It is hard to justify giving you any funds that will enable this pattern of wrongdoing to continue."

The New York Times sued the Defense Department yesterday for the second time in five months, arguing that a policy requiring its reporters to be escorted while in the building violates their First Amendment rights.

The escort requirement is “an unconstitutional attempt by the Pentagon to prevent independent reporting on military affairs,” Times spokesperson Charlie Stadtlander told The Associated Press.

Since Trump returned to office last year, the Pentagon has changed long-standing practices in news coverage of the department, limiting access for legacy media while expanding it for conservative and pro-Trump outlets. The Times first sued the Pentagon in December over restrictions Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth imposed last fall that multiple news outlets, including NBC News, refused to agree to.

After months of resisting endorsing a successor, Rep. Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., the former House speaker, officially threw her support behind a fellow progressive, San Francisco Board of Supervisors member Connie Chan, yesterday.

Voters in Pelosi’s liberal San Francisco district head to the polls in two weeks to select the top two candidates who will square off in the November general election.

Read the full story here.

Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche is set to testify at a Senate Appropriations subcommittee hearing today at 9:30 a.m. ET. The hearing is meant to focus on the DOJ’s 2027 budget request, but Blanche is likely to face questions about other issues as well.

Democrats may ask at the hearing about the $1.776 billion "Anti-Weaponization Fund" that the Justice Department is establishing. It could allow Jan. 6 rioters pardoned by Trump the ability to seek taxpayer payouts for their claims of government overreach. 

Sen. Bill Cassidy, R-La., yesterday defended his vote to convict Trump on impeachment charges five years ago, saying he would rather be remembered for standing up for his principles even if it ended his career in the Senate.

“That may have cost me my seat, but who cares? I had the privilege of voting to uphold the Constitution. Isn’t that a great thing?” Cassidy said to reporters on Capitol Hill two days after he lost his re-election bid in a GOP primary. “When I die, if that’s put in my obituary, ‘He voted to uphold the Constitution’ — I’ll figure that that’s going to be a better obituary.”

Read the full story here.

The Defense Department inspector general's office said yesterday that it’s investigating U.S. Southern Command over its targeting of alleged drug-smuggling boats in the military’s campaign against drug cartels, which some critics have argued is illegal.

Southern Command has targeted nearly 60 small boats the military says were transporting drugs through the Caribbean Sea and the Pacific Ocean, destroying 59 vessels and killing 193 people since the campaign began last fall, according to the Pentagon.

Read the full story here.

Trump joined a tele-rally for Rep. Barry Moore, R-Ala., last night, endorsing him for Senate.

Moore introduced Trump at the top of the rally, telling attendees he was “proud to say I was the first elected official in the nation to endorse him in 2015.”

Trump said Moore was “in a different league” and had supported Trump “from the very beginning.” He touted Moore’s voting record in support of strict immigration policies, promising Moore would continue to do so. Trump also said Moore would protect veterans, “safeguard” our elections and "defend the Second Amendment."

Moore is one of six candidates vying for the GOP nomination today. The winning candidate must secure 50% of the vote. If no one candidate reaches the majority, a runoff between the top two finishers will be held on the "fourth Tuesday following the primary."

Trump campaigned via phone for three GOP candidates in Kentucky yesterday, urging voters to back candidates that include the challenger to Rep. Thomas Massie.

Trump split time during the event advocating for Rep. Andy Barr for Senate, Ralph Alvarado for the 6th Congressional District and Ed Gallrein for the 4th Congressional District, where Massie is the representative.

“This is a group, great group of people, but that’s in Kentucky’s 4th Congressional District against a disastrous Thomas Massie. I say, he’s the worst Republican congressman in the history of the country,” Trump said.

“You need to send Ed Gallrein to fight for you in Washington,” Trump said during the call.

Gallrein called the primary a “pick a side moment,” arguing that a vote for Massie — who has said he votes with the GOP “90% of the time” — would be “picking the radical Democrats” over “President Trump, the Republican Party and the Constitution.”

Trump’s campaign to suppress dissent in his own party faces its most prominent test yet as he takes aim at Rep. Thomas Massie in Kentucky today, while GOP candidates across the country look to leverage his endorsement in key primaries. 

Massie has drawn the most attention from Trump amid repeated clashes across multiple issues, which prompted Trump’s political operation to pour resources into the campaign. Massie’s primary against Trump-backed former Navy SEAL Ed Gallrein has drawn more ad spending than any House primary in U.S. history, according to the ad-tracking firm AdImpact. 

Read the full story here.