Trump says he plans to meet with North Korea’s Kim Jong Un
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The president also announced that he will nominate White House aide Heidi Overton to be the next head of the Food and Drug Administration.
What to know today
- KIM JONG UN: President Donald Trump told reporters today that he will meet this year with the leader of North Korea. The U.S. does not have formal diplomatic relations with North Korea, and no other sitting presidents have met with its supreme leaders.
- FDA NOMINATION: Trump said on Truth Social that he will nominate Dr. Heidi Overton, a White House domestic policy official, to be the next FDA commissioner. Overton has supported reducing the number of universally recommended childhood vaccinations, a position that drew swift scrutiny today from a key Republican in the Senate, where she'll need to secure confirmation.
- ALASKA SENATE: GOP Sen. Dan Sullivan and Democrat Mary Peltola will face off in November for an Alaska Senate seat, with NBC News projecting that both will advance to the general election. It’s not yet clear whether another candidate named Dan Sullivan, a former teacher who's running as a Republican, will also be on the ballot in the fall.
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Darline Graham says she 'tripped up' during national security question in debate and was 'just being honest'
Sen. Darline Graham, R-S.C., admitted tonight that she “tripped up” during last night’s debate when she said national security was “not my thing,” prompting a wave of questions about her qualifications to hold on to her seat for a full term.
“I’ve said many times I’m not a politician, certainly not a career politician. I don’t speak politician. I was just honest, and I think that’s kind of a foreign concept,” Graham said in an interview with Fox News’ Sean Hannity.
Graham’s flub came as Newsmax moderator Greta Van Susteren asked whether she viewed Taiwan and the South China Sea as priorities. Graham avoided directly answering the question, saying that while national security was not her strong suit, “I do support the military.”
She told Hannity tonight that she talked to several people across the state after the debate and that they were “concerned about a lot of other things other than Taiwan,” listing voter concerns about the Second Amendment, the SAVE America Act and immigration.
“Of course Taiwan is our friend, but I think people in South Carolina are more worried about making ends meet,” Graham added.
Hannity downplayed the significance of Graham's debate response, saying he did not think the majority of Americans could identify Taiwan on a map, to which Graham said he was “100% right.”
Graham has said she will focus on “kitchen table issues” more than her brother, Lindsey Graham, did.
Sen. Darline Graham faces more questions about her qualifications after debate blunder
Even before last night’s debate, Sen. Darline Graham has been fending off questions about her qualifications to replace her brother, the late Lindsey Graham, in the Senate.
But her performance at the debate brought a fresh round of questioning in South Carolina — a state with a proud military tradition and several key bases and installations — when she whiffed on a question about Taiwan and acknowledged that she doesn’t know much about national security.
Some South Carolinians watching her debate against Rep. Ralph Norman, just one week before the state’s special Republican primary runoff election, were flabbergasted by her non-answer to a question from moderator Greta Van Susteren about whether she viewed Taiwan and the South China Sea as national security priorities.
“Uh-oh,” one Republican operative in the state said he uttered out loud as he listened to Graham’s response in real time during the debate.
Mike Lindell says he’ll pay for recount after double-digit loss in Minnesota governor primary
Mike Lindell, a fierce Trump ally and the founder of MyPillow, says he’s willing to foot the bill for a full recount in Minnesota’s GOP primary for governor — a race he lost this month by 11 percentage points.
In a brief phone call with NBC News today, Lindell said that he had hired his own team to begin investigating the Republican primary, which state House Speaker Lisa Demuth won Aug. 11, and that he reached out to the Minnesota secretary of state’s office that week to ask for a cost estimate for a full recount.
The secretary of state’s general counsel, Lauren Bethke, informed Lindell in a letter Tuesday that a full hand recount and audit would cost about $825,000.
Lindell, who has repeated debunked claims that voting machines rigged the 2020 election, told NBC News that he expects the overall amount to reach “upwards of $1 million” because of additional actions, including hiring his own team to investigate the race, a cost he said he is prepared to pay.
Trump to wave green flag at Freedom 250 Grand Prix starting line
Trump will wave the green flag this weekend at the start of the Freedom 250 Grand Prix in Washington, Penske Corp. President Bud Denker said in a video posted to X by Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy.
Duffy will wave the checkered flag at the end of the race.
Trump is also set to take a “lap of honor” in his motorcade before the race, an IndyCar spokesperson said today. The New York Post was first to report on the ceremonial lap.
America’s borrowing costs are surging. Washington is shrugging.
A record national debt. A rapidly ballooning deficit. Interest payments on track to surpass Medicare as the government’s greatest expense. None of it seems to matter much in Washington, where Trump and the Republican-controlled Congress have enacted an agenda that adds trillions of dollars to the national debt, with upcoming legislative plans that would pile on even more red ink.
But it should matter to consumers, because it means that in the coming years they will be paying more for everything from credit cards to cars to mortgages.
The numbers are eye-popping. The national debt now totals $40 trillion, or about 123% of the gross domestic product. That means annual U.S. economic output is smaller than the cumulative amount of debt the U.S. owes its bondholders.
And yet, simply put, debt reduction is not on the agenda.
Angie Nixon’s Senate primary upset sets up a political puzzle for Florida Democrats
Underfunded Democrat Angie Nixon’s Senate primary win last night shocked Florida politics, setting up general election uncertainty for a party that has been hoping 2026 would be an opportunity to escape from years in the political desert.
Crystal Vander Weit / TCPalm / USA Today Network via Reuters file
Nixon, a state representative and a member of Democratic Socialists of America, won the Democratic Senate nomination 56% to 43% against Alex Vindman, a candidate recruited by national Democrats who raised $16 million to Nixon’s $900,000.
The result now kicks off a November race of sharp contrasts, even within the Democratic ticket, as Nixon runs alongside former Republican David Jolly, the moderate Democratic nominee for governor.
Trump to attend both nights of GOP's midterm convention in Dallas
Trump said today that he will be at both nights of the Republican Party's midterm convention in Dallas next month.
“For the first time EVER, Republicans from all across our Great Country will come together for a Midterm Convention to celebrate our Tremendous Victories and Success, showcase our incredible Candidates, and prepare for the most important Midterm Election in History,” Trump wrote on Truth Social. “I will be with you both nights, and rarin’ to go. See you in Dallas!”
Democrats do not have plans to hold a similar event.
Trump announced in June that the GOP would have its first-ever midterm convention Sept. 9-10 as the party vies to defend narrow majorities in the House and the Senate this fall.
Democrat leads in Pennsylvania legislative district Trump won by more than 18 points in 2024
A Democratic candidate in western Pennsylvania began the day with a slim lead in a special election for a state legislative seat in a district Trump won by more than 18 percentage points in 2024.
Democrat Brandon Dukes appears to be close to flipping a very pro-Trump state House district in Pennsylvania. Dukes for PA
Brandon Dukes, a bank loan officer, leads Republican Scott Timko, an Air Force veteran, by 97 votes in Pennsylvania’s 12th State House District just north of Pittsburgh. Republicans have held the seat since 1999. Some outstanding votes remain to be counted, though, and The Associated Press had not yet called the contest as of 5 p.m. ET today. Should he emerge victorious, Dukes will have to face off with Timko again in a general election rematch in November.
Dukes said in an interview that he was still adjusting to the “shock factor” of the result.
Senate health committee chair Bill Cassidy says he has 'strong concerns' over Trump's pick to lead FDA
Sen. Bill Cassidy, R-La., who chairs the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee, said today that he has “strong concerns” about Heidi Overton’s nomination to lead the FDA.
Saul Loeb / AFP - Getty Images file
“Her lack of managerial experience does not prepare her well for leading a large organization that is already dealing with staffing and morale issues,” Cassidy wrote on X.
“Additionally, Dr. Overton’s active role in last week’s nonsensical vaccine executive order calls into question her commitment to standing up for sound science and protecting children’s health. That alone is almost disqualifying,” Cassidy added, referring to an order Trump signed last week aiming to curb the number of vaccines recommended for children.
Overton’s nomination must advance in the HELP Committee before it can be considered by the full Senate. Republicans hold a slim one-vote majority.
Sen. Patty Murray of Washington, a senior Democrat on the committee, criticized Overton’s nomination earlier today.
Trump says U.S. interest rates are 'ridiculous'
Trump told reporters at the White House that the U.S.' interest rates are "ridiculous" but stopped short of criticizing the new Federal Reserve chair, Kevin Warsh.
"I have to tell you, we have a wonderful chairman. I think he’s doing a great job. The problem is he has a board, and it’s a political board," Trump said at a meeting with business leaders. "I don’t know if they’re doing it because they think they’re doing a good thing or because they like the politics of it."
He went on to lament that in the past, "when the country announced good numbers, interest rates went down because we had a stronger country. Now, when we announce good numbers, the better they are, the worse it is for interest rates."
"It’s a very unfair system," he added. "And I’ve said it now for a long time. When our country does well, interest rates should go down. They go up because they want to stop inflation. They should go down because the country’s strong."
Book him: Prosecutors using James Comey’s novel against him in seashells case
Federal prosecutors want to throw the book at former FBI Director James Comey in their seashells-based case — including his own crime novel.
James Comey signs copies of his crime novel "FDR Drive" in New York in May 2025. Michael M. Santiago / Getty Images file
In court filings defending their controversial criminal case against Comey, a frequent critic and target of Trump, prosecutors in North Carolina say his book “FDR Drive” bolsters their argument that a picture he posted on Instagram of seashells on the shore arranged to say “8647” constituted a “true threat” against the president’s life. Trump is the 47th president.
Trump says he's 'OK with term limits' for lawmakers
Trump said he is “OK with term limits” when reporters asked him about the proposal following a tech event in the Roosevelt Room of the White House.
Trump told reporters that he could see it going both ways, where talented lawmakers get termed out and are replaced by “total rookies” or where people are there too long and lawmakers are ineffective.
“I always like to say that a term limit is an election. You know, the public’s pretty smart,” Trump said, adding that he would be “OK” with them.
“Remember, the people that have to pass term limits are the people that are going to be voting on them to get out of office. So it’s a little bit tough. That’s not the easiest vote to get, is it?” he added. “But I’m OK with it one way or the other. I do think elections really turn people out.”
New maps make Florida a key player in the fight for the House majority
The fate of the House could lie in an unlikely place: Florida.
Mid-decade redistricting pushed by Trump and led in the state by Gov. Ron DeSantis has teed up a general election with up to a half-dozen incumbents from both parties in political peril.
It means the state, which in recent election cycles has lost its longtime battleground status, will have outsize influence on this year’s midterms, as well as next year’s governing in Washington.
Trump administration was warned about peeling Reflecting Pool nearly a month before it brought vandalism case
A National Park Service engineer warned the Trump administration that the floor of the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool was peeling in early June because of the renovation process and the materials used for the job, court filings revealed today.
Despite the warning, Trump accused multiple people of “destroying” the pool once it reopened to the public — and the U.S. attorney’s office in Washington charged former Olympic canoeist David Hearn with destruction of property during a June 19 visit.
A peeling section of coating bobs above the water in the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool on June 21. Pete Kiehart / The Washington Post via Getty Images file
Trump’s endorsement record takes a hit at the end of primary season
Trump’s near-sterling endorsement record this election cycle has taken a major hit in August — and two more tests loom next week.
Six GOP candidates out of dozens who secured Trump’s coveted endorsement in campaigns for House or governor have lost this month, with three of those defeats coming in last night’s nominating contests. Before August, only three Trump-backed candidates failed to win such primaries this year, across more contests.
Top Senate Democrat opposes Trump's pick to lead FDA
Sen. Patty Murray of Washington, a senior Democrat on the Senate committee that oversees the Food and Drug Administration, said she will vote against Trump's choice to lead the agency.
Sen. Patty Murray, D-Wash., at the Capitol in 2023. Al Drago / Bloomberg via Getty Images file
Trump today nominated Dr. Heidi Overton, a top White House domestic policy aide, to be the next FDA commissioner.
“Heidi Overton is a far-right, anti-abortion extremist who has no business leading the FDA," Murray wrote on X. "The American people deserve someone who will put science and facts FIRST, not another Trump sycophant who will make it their mission to attack medication abortion. I will vote NO.”
Liberia agrees to take 1,200 third-country deportees from the U.S.
Liberia has agreed to accept up to 1,200 third-country deportees from the U.S., authorities in the West African country said yesterday, in one of the largest such arrangements under the Trump administration’s broader crackdown on immigration.
The deportees will be received within a year, with the first batch of 20 expected tomorrow, Liberian Information Minister Jerolinmek Piah told reporters. The 1,200 deportees will include Africans, as well as nationals from North America, South America and the Caribbean, Piah said.
Under a series of often-secret agreements, the Trump administration has deported thousands of people to nearly two dozen countries that are not their own, advocates say, with about 10 of them in Africa.
A key issue in the agreements is that migrants with protection orders from U.S. immigration judges can be returned to countries other than their own because of concerns for their safety. Piah did not say whether the deportees expected in Liberia had such protection orders.
Trump says he will meet with Kim Jong Un this year
Trump confirmed to reporters that he plans to meet with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un this year, a highly unusual move for an American president, if not for Trump himself.
Asked whether he was expecting to meet with Kim this year, Trump responded, “Yeah, I will be.”
The Wall Street Journal first reported that Trump was pushing for a meeting with Kim, whom he met with three times in 2018 and 2019. The U.S. does not have formal diplomatic relations with North Korea.
Trump nominates Dr. Heidi Overton as FDA commissioner
Trump announced on Truth Social that he is nominating Dr. Heidi Overton as Food and Drug Administration commissioner, which NBC News reported earlier today.
"Dr. Heidi has been a ROCKSTAR in my Administration, where she has worked directly with Secretary Kennedy, Dr. Oz, and team, to deliver on the MOST TRANSFORMATIVE Health Agenda in History. She is known to take on the HARDEST issues, and bring me solutions that work best for the Country," Trump said.
He added, "Heidi is “ALWAYS RIGHT,” Secretary Kennedy recently said in the Oval Office! We need her leadership at the FDA now to ensure that the U.S. remains the WORLD LEADER for Scientific Discovery and CURES."
Overton is currently a White House domestic policy aide.
Trump also said that Overton would collaborate with Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and Mehmet Oz, Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services administrator, to "RAPIDLY deliver on my priorities of FASTER Cures, INCREASED American Innovation, MAJOR Clinical Trial Reforms, LOWER Drug Prices, and even more MAHA WINS!"
Trump to nominate Heidi Overton to lead the FDA
Trump is expected to nominate Dr. Heidi Overton to be his new FDA commissioner, according to a senior administration official.
Overton, a physician, is a White House domestic policy official who regularly briefs the president on various health issues. She was at his side earlier this month when he announced an executive order aimed at reducing the number of universally recommended childhood vaccinations.
At the time, she urged “blue states” to adopt the administration’s “gold standard” recommendations, which many doctors said were not supported by current science.
Heidi Overton in the Oval Office last week. Bonnie Cash / Bloomberg via Getty Images
Trump, who initially endorsed Rep. Cory Mills, says he wanted him to drop out of the race
Trump said in a Truth Social post that he told Rep. Cory Mills to drop his re-election bid despite having endorsed him.
"I told Congressman Cory Mills of Florida, a friend of mine, to get out of the Race, but he wouldn’t listen," Trump said. "He thought he could win, so who can blame him? We now have a great candidate, Ryan Elijah, running in his place! Ryan stands for EVERYTHING MAGA, and is respected by ALL. He has my Complete and Total Endorsement!"
In February, Trump wrote on Truth Social that Mills had his "complete and total endorsement," adding in capitalized letters that the congressman "will not let you down."
Mills faced investigations by the House Ethics Committee into allegations of sexual misconduct and campaign finance violations, and the Justice Department was investigating Mills' finances. Mills has denied any wrongdoing.
Josh Turek, a Democrat, highlights his votes with Republicans in a new ad
Josh Turek, the Democratic nominee in Iowa's Senate race, released a new ad highlighting his votes with Republicans.
Democrats hope that Turek, a state legislator, can flip the seat blue and bolster their shot at gaining the majority in the Senate.
"Bipartisan bills to lower costs. Tax cuts. Gun rights protections," the narrator says in the new ad. "Just some of the more than 700 times Josh Turek voted with Republicans to look out for Iowans. That’s a seven, with two zeros."
The narrator also noted Turek's willingness to side with Trump.
"In the Senate, Josh will work with anyone to clean up corruption and secure the border, including President Trump," the ad says. "And he’s got 700 votes to prove it."
Democratic senators press Interior Department on records retention after reports of document destruction
Two Democratic senators are seeking information about how records are handled at the Interior Department after reports of improper disposal of documents.
In a letter first shared with NBC News, Sens. Martin Heinrich, D-N.M., and Ron Wyden, D-Ore., pressed Interior Secretary Doug Burgum on the department's compliance with federal records retention requirements.
“We are deeply concerned by recent reports that officials at the Department have reportedly engaged in actions in violation of the Federal Records Act,” the senators wrote in the letter sent today to Burgum. “It is imperative that all employees at the Department — regardless of title or position — understand and comply with federal records retention requirements. Government must be transparent and accountable to the American people.”
Politico this month reported on the shredding of documents and use of disappearing Signal messages, citing three staffers who witnessed it. NBC News has not independently verified the staffers' account.
The senators are asking Burgum to inform them of the department’s record retention policies, encrypted mobile application procedures, and whether it has directed, ordered or is aware of any department employee destroying or concealing a federal record.
Burgum was in the spotlight this month amid the fallout from the botched renovation of the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool and the president’s unfounded claims of vandalism. In July, U.S. Attorney Jeanine Pirro dropped a felony charge against U.S. Olympic canoeist David Hearn, who was accused of causing damage to the Reflecting Pool.
In its motion to dismiss the indictment, the Department of Justice admitted for the first time that the damage was “a result of flawed installation by the contractor,” citing what it called new documents brought to its attention.
“It was not until after these documents were produced that USAO-DC first became aware of information showing that the damage was the result of a botched installation and not vandalism as initially represented by DOI,” Pirro wrote.
Trump is open to meeting Kim again, but no formal date has been set
Trump is open to meeting with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un at the “appropriate time,” a White House official said, but no date has been set and no formal planning has started on a potential visit.
The president is expected to travel to Asia this fall to attend several summits, including the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation gathering in Shenzhen, China, in November, but it’s unclear whether any possible meeting would be set up around that time frame.
Trump has mused publicly about meeting Kim again as a follow-up to their brief encounter in the Korean Demilitarized Zone in 2019.
Trump suggested this week that he wanted to scale back military exercises with South Korea, citing its lack of support for the war with Iran and his “very good” relationship with Kim.
The Wall Street Journal was first to report the possible meeting with Kim, citing U.S. officials.
U.S. Navy destroyer with 300 sailors aboard broke down for four days in the Pacific
A U.S. Navy destroyer with about 300 sailors aboard suffered a major breakdown in the Pacific Ocean last month that left it without power for four days, the Navy confirmed in a statement.
The USS Benfold “reported an engineering casualty involving its generators, causing a loss of power” on July 24, Navy spokesman Cmdr. Matthew Comer said in the statement. The breakdown meant the crew went without drinking water, meals, functioning toilets and air conditioning for days aboard the ship, Comer said.
The incident, which became public only on Friday when it was first reported by USNI News, comes as the Pentagon grapples with serious questions about the quality of life aboard naval vessels and the military’s ability to supply ships during the conflict with Iran.
Peltola releases ad highlighting her willingness to break with Democrats
Peltola's campaign released its first TV ad for the general election this morning, framing the Senate candidate as someone willing to break with her own party.
"I’ll take on anyone, including Democrats, anyone in the Lower 48, who doesn’t understand what Alaska needs," Peltola said in the ad. "They don’t get that resource development is about our survival. They don’t get that firearms are for feeding our families and protecting ourselves, that a secure border keeps all Americans safe."
"When both parties are attacking you, you’re doing something right," she said. "Alaska first, always."
Mary Peltola addresses supporters in Anchorage last night. Mark Thiessen / AP Photo/Mark Thiessen
Democrats are eyeing Alaska as potential pickup, hoping Peltola can flip the state blue and move Democrats closer to taking the Senate majority.
Peltola previously served as the state's lone House member, but she was defeated in her re-election bid in 2024 by Trump-endorsed Republican Nick Begich.
Trump blames vandals for damaged grass in the spot where he held his big July 4 celebration
Trump said vandals are to blame for large swaths of dead grass on the National Mall near the World War II Memorial — in the spot where he had a stage built and hosted crowds for his July 4 celebration.
Trump made the accusation in a social media post on Sunday without saying why he believes it’s the work of vandals instead of trampled turf from the Independence Day festivities. The Republican president posted a photo showing a once-grassy area by the World War II Memorial, now patchy and brown across much of the sprawling turf.
Patchy grass near the World War II Memorial on Aug. 10. Andrew Harnik / Getty Images
“Look what VANDALS did to the grass connecting the vandalized World War II Monument and the vandalized Reflecting Pool, which will be opened again, and better than ever, shortly,” Trump said on his Truth Social platform.
“Anybody who thinks the Reflecting Pool wasn’t vandalized should go back to Law School!” he added.
Trump has repeatedly blamed vandals for damage to his renovation projects in the nation’s capital, often without evidence and sometimes despite opposing accounts from his officials.
Trump lashed out at U.S. Attorney Jeanine Pirro this month after her office concluded that damage to the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool was the result of poor construction and not the work of vandals, as Trump claimed.
The photo Trump posted matches what you’d expect to see with a large summer event, according to Penn State University turf professor John Kaminski.
“Nothing in the photograph clearly indicates vandalism. Jumping to that conclusion seems like a fairly large leap, although it is impossible to rule anything in or out,” he said.
Messages seeking more information were left with the National Park Service and the Department of the Interior.
Authorities on Friday announced an arrest in connection with vandalism at the World War II Memorial, after the words “Clean hands dirty $” were found painted on the monument and bubbles filled a fountain. Pirro said felony charges were being brought against Melissa L. Farris, who was in custody and couldn’t be reached for comment.
Trump pauses 50% tariffs on Canada for 3 days
The president late last night slammed the brakes on a wave of tariffs that were set to hit Canada at midnight.
On social media, Trump wrote: “I have paused the 50% Tariffs against Canada, that were scheduled to kick in tomorrow morning for a three day period, based on the fact that Canada and the U.S.A., subject to the finalization of documents, have a DEAL!”
Trump did not provide further details, except to refer to the Keystone XL pipeline, which he said “may be awoken from the grave!”
“The deal will include comprehensive market access for all American goods, economic security commitments, digital trade alignment, and many important provisions that will continue to protect our market and American workers, along with our Canadian partners,” the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative said in a separate social media post.
Natalie Harp's brother details her 'obsession,' says she has written to other presidents
The brother of Trump aide Natalie Harp said in a CNN interview that Harp has long had an "obsession" that drove her to write letters to other presidents as a teenager.
"Since she was, like, 16, she’s had an obsession with — gosh, how do I explain this?" her brother Preston Harp said. "She’s written letters to other presidents, let me put it that way."
"Her dream came true, finally," he said.
He said his sister wrote to then-President George W. Bush during the Iraq War, although he did not know its contents.
Separately in the interview, Harp said that his sister was Trump's "biggest fan."
The New York Times has previously reported that Harp, who is Trump's executive assistant, has written letters to the president, including one that she reportedly signed off by writing, "with all my heart." In another letter, she wrote to Trump that he is "all that matters to me," the Times reported.
Harp is also one of the few Trump aides with access to his social media accounts, with the president allegedly approving content from printed drafts that she then posts for him, according to a recent lawsuit over the decision to sell faster access to posts on on Truth Social.
Other outlets reported that Harp was one of the few people who joined Trump on a secret flight departing Turkey after the NATO summit last month, which the president said was spurred by a security threat amid the war with Iran. Other administration officials, including Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, stayed on Air Force One with the traveling press.
Harp was thrust into the spotlight after Sen. Jon Ossoff, D-Ga., who is running for re-election, made a reference to her during a recent campaign rally, bringing up her travel with Trump in a criticism of the president's priorities.
Darline Graham defends her résumé in South Carolina debate after saying 'national security is not my thing'
Sen. Darline Graham and Rep. Ralph Norman traded criticism over experience, ambition, campaign finance and policy positions in a Senate primary debate last night 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.”
Trump-backed Rep. Harriet Hageman wins Republican Senate primary in Wyoming
Rep. Harriet Hageman has won the Republican primary for Wyoming’s open Senate seat, NBC News projects, advancing to the general election in the deep-red state.
Hageman had the support of Trump as she ran against four Republican opponents. Trump weighed in to offer his “complete and total endorsement” on Truth Social shortly after she announced her candidacy in December.
Two Trump-backed candidates lose, Debbie Wasserman Schultz wins in Tuesday’s House primaries in Florida
Democratic Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz has won her party’s nomination for re-election, NBC News projects, while two Republican House candidates backed by Trump lost their primary bids in Florida yesterday.
Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis and other party leaders redrew Wasserman Schultz’s current district and three other Democratic seats into four new GOP-leaning districts the party hopes to flip in November.
The move prompted Wasserman Schultz, a former chair of the Democratic National Committee, to run in the 20th District, which has long been represented by Black Democrats and is vacant because Rep. Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick resigned after being indicted and accused of stealing millions in Covid relief. She has denied wrongdoing.
U.S.-South Korea joint military drills are cut short after surprise Trump order
Joint military exercises underway between the U.S. and South Korea are being cut short, both countries said, after Trump, citing his “very good” relationship with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, ordered that they be reduced.
The annual U.S.-South Korea drills, known as Ulchi Freedom Shield, will end Aug. 21 rather than Aug. 27 as originally scheduled, a Defense Department official said.
“Associated live-training events have been reduced, with certain events canceled or converted to simulations,” the official said, adding that the adjustments “preserve essential readiness” and that “there will be no degradation to U.S. training objectives.”
The surprise comments by Trump, which he made on social media hours before the exercises began Monday, have unsettled South Korea, which relies heavily on the U.S. for its security, as well as other U.S. allies in the region facing a growing threat from nuclear-armed North Korea.
GOP Rep. Cory Mills loses his Florida primary amid investigations
Republican Rep. Cory Mills has lost his primary in Florida, NBC News projects, amid a swirl of investigations and negative publicity and despite running with the backing of Trump.
Former television journalist Ryan Elijah captured the Republican nomination over Mills in Florida’s 7th District, a seat Trump carried by 12 percentage points in 2024. Democrats have hoped to make it competitive this fall, especially if Mills were on the ballot.
Democratic socialist Angie Nixon scores upset in Florida’s Democratic Senate primary
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.
Vindman, a retired lieutenant colonel and Iraq War veteran who rose to prominence as a witness during President Donald Trump’s 2019 impeachment hearings, was viewed as a heavy favorite against Nixon, a member of the Democratic Socialists of America, heading into yesterday’s contest.
GOP Sen. Dan Sullivan and Democrat Mary Peltola advance to battleground Senate election in Alaska
GOP Sen. Dan Sullivan and Democrat Mary Peltola will face off in November for Alaska’s Senate seat, with NBC News projecting that both candidates will advance to the general election. But it’s not yet clear whether another Dan Sullivan will also be on the November ballot.
Democrats view this race as a key part of their strategy to take the Senate majority as the party tries to net four seats to take control of the chamber. And the presence of a candidate with the same name as the incumbent could add a new degree of uncertainty in November.
DGA-backed group goes to bat for Amy Acton with ads in Ohio governor’s race
A group backed by the Democratic Governors Association has launched a pair of 30-second ads in Ohio — one promoting Amy Acton and the other attacking her Republican rival, Vivek Ramaswamy.
One spot focuses on Acton’s turbulent childhood in Youngstown, “not always knowing where her next meal would come from, or if she’d have a roof over her head.”
“But life isn’t about getting knocked down,” a narrator says, “It’s about getting back up.”
The other spot attempts to brand the Trump-endorsed Ramaswamy as a “con man” and “swindler,” focusing on his business record. Ramaswamy, a biotech entrepreneur, led what at the time was the largest initial public offering in industry history. That company’s Alzheimer’s disease treatment failed, but not before making him wealthy — an outcome the ad emphasizes.
“Yes, Vivek Ramaswamy has been called a lot of things, but governor should not be one of them,” a narrator says.
The ads, paid for by the DGA-aligned Ohioans for Lower Costs and shared first with NBC News, follow a barrage of spending by Ramaswamy and an aligned super PAC focused on attacking Acton. The Democratic ads will air statewide on streaming and internet-connected TV, as well as on digital platforms.
Acton, a physician, served under term-limited Republican Gov. Mike DeWine as Ohio’s health director in the early days of the Covid pandemic.
A recent Fox News poll found Ramaswamy and Acton in a dead heat, suggesting a close race in a state Trump carried easily three times.
