Hungry to oust longtime centrist Sen. Susan Collins (R-ME), early supporters of the embattled progressive candidate say it’s time their colleagues drop lingering skepticism over personal baggage to embrace the party’s best chance at winning the toss-up seat.

“If Democrats want to win the Senate, as I’m sure they do, I think they’re going to rally around the Democratic nominee in Maine,” Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT) told the Washington Examiner.

“They need to coalesce,” Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) said. “He has taken responsibility.”

An eagerness for Democrats to embrace Platner, a scandal-plagued nominee, resembles Republicans falling in line for the Trump-endorsed Paxton after ousting leadership-backed Sen. John Cornyn (R-TX) in the competitive Texas Senate race. But even as Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) and Senate Democrats’ campaign arm extend a lukewarm embrace, there remains a greater reluctance among some to champion Platner in the way Republicans quickly did for Paxton after months of vehemently opposing him.

“It just doesn’t matter what I think. It literally doesn’t matter,” said Sen. Peter Welch (D-VT). “It matters what the voters in Maine think, and the challenge that Platner has is the challenge that any candidate has. It is to address, in a direct way, both personal and political issues that are legitimate questions for the voters. He’s got to do that.”

Welch added: “Until the election is over, he’s got work to do every day and every way.”

Sen. Elissa Slotkin (D-MI) described Platner as a key player to winning back the Senate so Democrats can challenge the Trump administration. But she also expressed anxieties that there could be more yet-to-be-unearthed skeletons for the insurgent nominee.

“I just hope we’re — I’m — not caught again live on TV answering the same questions about bad behavior,” Slotkin said.

The Democrat most eager to talk about Platner, Sen. John Fetterman (D-PA), is perhaps the nominee’s strongest opponent within the party over his past transgressions that have come to light on the campaign trail. Those include a Nazi tattoo, offensive social media posts, an extramarital sexting scandal, and allegedly toxic former romantic relationships.

“I will be the one Democrat to never defend and pretend that he isn’t an absolute mess and a disgrace as a candidate,” Fetterman told the Washington Examiner, suggesting he’ll stay neutral and not support Collins. “The only thing that keeps him alive politically is that there happens to be a ‘D’ at the end of his name.”

Platner won the Tuesday primary against Gov. Janet Mills (D-ME), who suspended her campaign in late April, with roughly 72% of the vote. In his victory speech, he painted reporting on his scandals as an attempt by the “political establishment” to distract voters.

“And they will try to make this race about everything other than what it absolutely is: a simple choice for who will represent us in the United States Senate,” Platner told supporters.

TRUMP BACKS SUSAN COLLINS FOR REELECTION

President Donald Trump lambasted Platner Wednesday as a “thug” and an “outright pig” while endorsing Collins for a sixth term, despite frequently butting heads with the powerful swing-vote senator who doubles as chair of the Senate Appropriations Committee.

“She’s a sane woman, and she’s a respected person, maybe a little different ideology than me,” Trump praised Collins, before turning to criticism of Platner. “But this guy is a thug, he’s a fake, he’s a fake thug, he’s a phony. … I made a lot of money picking out phonies. He’s a real phony, he’s bad, he’s a bad person.”

Christian Datoc and Mabinty Quarshie contributed to this report.

ActBlue, the primary payment processor of the Democratic Party, is accused of allowing foreign actors to influence U.S. elections in favor of Democrats and lying to Congress about vulnerabilities in its donor-vetting system.

ActBlue CEO Regina Wallace-Jones faced pointed questions at a House hearing on Wednesday concerning past statements she made attesting to the platform’s fraud-prevention practices.

Rep. Bryan Steil (R-WI), chairman of the House Administration Committee, asked Wallace-Jones about a 2023 letter she sent him assuring lawmakers that the company has robust safeguards in place to prevent campaign contributions from foreign sources.

“Only donations with passport information are processed,” Wallace-Jones wrote at the time.

ActBlue’s lawyers, however, later warned in internal memos obtained by the New York Times that the CEO’s statements to Congress were inaccurate and could pose legal risks. The attorneys found that foreign nationals may have used third-party donation portals, such as PayPal and Venmo, to bypass ActBlue’s passport documentation requirements.

“Ms. Wallace-Jones, when you signed this letter to me, did you believe that this letter was false and misleading?” Steil asked on Wednesday.

ACTBLUE’S LAWYERS SAID IT MAY HAVE MISLED CONGRESS ON FOREIGN DONATIONS: REPORT

“On the advice of counsel, I respectfully decline to answer this question pursuant to my Fifth Amendment rights under the Constitution,” answered Wallace-Jones.

Wallace-Jones repeated the prepared response to every question directed to her, including inquiries concerning whether she knew the letter contained false statements and if she ever considered correcting the record.

“You’ve been asked legitimate questions that are intended to elicit information the committee has the right to have to aid our inquiry,” Steil told Wallace-Jones. “You’ve refused to answer the questions.”

Steil said Wallace-Jones originally was going to appear before the committee voluntarily, but her attorneys requested a subpoena on Monday that would compel the CEO’s appearance.

“We provided you [with] that subpoena,” Steil said. “You’re here today. You have an opportunity to testify, and you’ve chosen to take your Fifth Amendment constitutional right.”

Wallace-Jones announced in a Washington Post op-ed ahead of her scheduled testimony that she intended to assert her Fifth Amendment privileges throughout the House hearing. “Silence in response to bad-faith action is not retreat — it is a bedrock American right,” Wallace-Jones wrote.

House Republicans previously deposed five former and current ActBlue staffers who similarly remained silent on Fifth Amendment grounds, according to an April congressional report on the joint investigation into the foreign funding allegations against ActBlue.

FEELING BLUE: HOW ACTBLUE, DEMOCRATS’ FAVORITE FUNDRAISER, IMPLODED

During the depositions, the ActBlue employees declined to answer a single question about alleged cover-up efforts within the organization, instead invoking the Fifth Amendment a total of 140 times.

“This is a tale as old as time,” Rep. Jim Jordan (R-OH) said at Wednesday’s hearing. “You get caught doing something wrong and when you’re questioned about it, you deny it. And when evidence emerges and questions persist, you take the Fifth.”

Cassidy’s loss in his Louisiana primary last month means that Republicans will need to choose another person to serve in his place, and Murkowski’s seniority on the committee puts her in contention for that gavel if the GOP retains its Senate majority in 2027.

“If I am most senior, I would certainly welcome the opportunity,” Murkowski told the Washington Examiner on Wednesday.

Chairmanships are ordinarily awarded based on seniority, and two other Republicans, Sens. Rand Paul (R-KY) and Susan Collins (R-ME), have served there longer. Both already run separate committees, however, and cannot hold two gavels at a time under conference rules.

“I am relatively senior on the committee, but there are other individuals in front of me,” Murkowski said. “As you know, it’s all a question of what they would do with their selections, and whether they keep their current committees.

“So, is it something that you think about? Yeah.”

Paul is, so far, noncommittal on whether he wants to chair Cassidy’s Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions. Paul leads the Senate panel that deals with homeland security and governmental affairs.

Collins, for her part, would have to give up a plum post chairing the Senate Appropriations Committee to take over for Cassidy. There’s also a question over whether she will return next year as she runs for a sixth term in Maine, a top battleground state.

For the time being, Murkowski’s interest in the HELP post pits her against Sen. Roger Marshall (R-KS), who has previously expressed interest. Marshall is just below Murkowski in terms of seniority.

HOW THUNE OVERCAME A TRUMP-SIZED ROADBLOCK TO FUNDING ICE

The two have vastly different backgrounds and would likely take the panel in different directions politically. Marshall, a doctor by trade, is an outspoken ally of Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.

Murkowski, meanwhile, is ideologically closer to Cassidy, who has grown increasingly critical of Kennedy and his vaccine skepticism.

U.S. District Judge Eleanor Ross, a nominee of former President Barack Obama, has been identified as the judge accused of sexual misconduct.

A judicial investigation uncovered that the improper sexual activity happened multiple times after a law clerk in Ross’s office brought the claim before the court. When approached with the law clerk’s allegations, Ross denied each one. She was found to have lied. The investigation was led by William Pryor Jr., chief judge of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 11th Circuit.

Following the investigation, Congress is now getting involved. The two Georgia Republicans believe she should be forced from the Atlanta-based federal court, a far more severe punishment than a reprimand by the court.

“Her deeply disturbing actions prove she is incapable of displaying integrity or impartiality,” Clyde posted Tuesday on X. “She must be impeached and removed from the bench.”

Fuller did not release a comparable statement on social media.

The House Judiciary Committee, chaired by Rep. Jim Jordan (R-OH), must decide whether to start impeachment proceedings against Ross. Federal judges can only be removed from their duties through the impeachment process conducted by Congress.

Ross also allegedly attended a partisan event in honor of Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis, who unsuccessfully prosecuted President Donald Trump for alleged interference in the 2020 election. The event took place in 2024 as Willis ran for a second term. The well-known Democratic district attorney won her reelection bid that year.

The Justice Department recently asked Ross to recuse herself in a Georgia election records case, citing her connection to Willis as an example of possible bias in the case.

“A judge who attended a party celebrating the election of a Democrat best known for prosecuting a Republican President for alleged election interference cannot then preside over a case concerning that President’s efforts to ensure election integrity,” the DOJ said in the court filing signed by Assistant Attorney General for Civil Rights Harmeet Dhillon.

DOJ REQUESTS RECUSAL OF GEORGIA ELECTION CASE JUDGE OVER MISCONDUCT SCANDAL

The department is suing Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger, a Republican, to obtain access to the state’s voter rolls.

The DOJ noted Ross’s “improper sexual activity in chambers with a law enforcement officer” and her “lack of candor” in the filing but specified that they were not the subject of the recusal request. The government asked Ross to rule on the motion concerning her alleged misconduct by Friday.

No one is who they seem online. Adults pose as children. Kids pose as adults. Children are bullied by other kids, and creeps offer advice to vulnerable teens on suicide.

So why is it so hard to protect children by barring under-16s from using social media?

Just ask Rep. Erin Houchin (R-IN). She will tell you how her amendment banning social media for minors failed to make it into an online safety package being considered by Congress and how a similar bill fail to make it through the markup process.

“It’s been a very eye-opening experience as a parent, but also as a policymaker, to see that I can’t get the bill in a markup that seems a pretty easy lift,” she told a small group of reporters gathered by Winning for Women for coffee and chocolate croissants at Butterworth’s restaurant on Capitol Hill.

Things may be moving her way.

Last December, Australia became the first nation to ban social media for children under 18, blocking access to platforms such as Facebook, TikTok, and YouTube. It is being watched closely by other countries where pressure is mounting for tighter safeguards.

GLOBAL FIGHT AGAINST HARMS OF SOCIAL MEDIA SHINES SPOTLIGHT ON US INACTION

Houchin said under-16s are at an age where they are particularly vulnerable to peer pressure, eating disorders, and the risk of suicide. She described how she felt powerless as a parent to protect her daughter.

“She got access to Instagram and was staying up all night on her phone,” said Houchin, who is a member of Republican House leadership. “She hacked around our parental controls, messaging who she thought were 13 and 14-year-old boys and girls all over the world. And when we discovered it, we contacted the platform, and they said: ‘Pound sand. She’s 13.’”

Access is currently governed by the Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act, which sets the age threshold at 13. The law was written in 1998, when TikTok was not even a gleam in the eye of a Chinese developer and Facebook cofounder Mark Zuckerberg had been an “adult” for just a year (according to its criteria).

But moving the age upwards runs into resistance from both the Left and the Right, said Houchin.

For some young adults, social media might be the only place where they can find advice on LGBT issues without their parents finding out.

On the Right, there are complaints that it is the job of parents, not the state, to look after children. And then there are free speech questions. Both arguments are amplified by Big Tech, which can spend hundreds of millions of dollars on lobbying efforts.

Some of the biggest money has been spent in Europe, where tech giants worry that progressive politics could cause ripples felt on this side of the Atlantic.

A report by watchdogs put the spending last year at about $180 million, funding 890 full-time tech lobbyists in Brussels, where the European Parliament is based.

Federal lobbying in the United States ran to more than $100 million last year, although that includes the whole gamut of issues, including AI as well as social media protections. And that’s without even considering state capitals.

There is good news and bad news when it comes to allies in the Trump administration.

This week, the U.S. government formally criticized plans for an Australian-style age ban in Britain, arguing that parents should take responsibility for their children’s time online and that state interference would be an attack on free speech.

“The best answer to challenges posed by technology is almost always better technology, not broad bans or blunt regulatory instruments,” it said in response to a consultation exercise held by the British government.

On the other hand, does Houchin have an ally in the second lady? Secrets can reveal that Usha Vance recently read The Digital Delusion: How Classroom Technology Harms Our Kids’ Learning — And How To Help Them Thrive Again by Jared Cooney Harvath. Its thesis is that children are being harmed by sitting in front of computer screens.

More importantly, Harvath recently appeared before a Senate committee where he made the case for banning children under 18 from using social media. That’s a way more aggressive stance than Houchin’s.

In the meantime, Houchin said she would leave no stone unturned or podcast spurned in order to spread the word.

“I think parents everywhere, no matter their party, are going to be like, oh my goodness, I cannot believe this is what’s happening, but it’s absolutely true,” she said.

Why is Trump’s approval rating so low?

Earlier this week, we brought you data and analysis from J.L. Partners on the “mid-propensity voters” who could yet help Republicans avoid the worst forecasts for a midterm wipeout. The data were presented by James Johnson at an exclusive gathering for clients and strategists.

Among the slides, there were also explanations for Trump’s low approval ratings.

Johnson’s firm has been tracking factors cited by voters who disapprove of the president. The latest data came in on May 18, and the numbers show the change from a month earlier.

No surprises that economic concerns top the table. The rest of the chart makes interesting reading, and breaks down into two halves, with eight factors being mentioned by more than 20%, while the rest come in among a much smaller proportion. So things like White House renovations don’t factor in much at all, nor do Russia and Ukraine. Both are stories that get major media attention, but it seems like they don’t much trouble voters.

Respondents who disapprove of Trump:

• Cost of living & inflation (57%, +12)

• His manner and approach to governing (40%, +3)

• Actions of ICE/immigration enforcement (39%, -0) 

• Trade policy & tariffs (31%, +10) 

• His approach to the Middle East (23%, -6) 

• Handling of the Epstein files (21%, -6) 

• Cuts to Medicaid (19%, -2)

• Economic growth & job creation (19%, +4) 

• His approach to Russia/Ukraine (8%, -5) 

• Handling of the government shutdown (8%, -6) 

• Renovations to the White House (7%, -0) 

• Tax policies (6%, +0) 

• Military action in Venezuela (5%, -3) 

• Crime & public safety (5%, +0) 

• Nomination of Supreme Court justices (3%, +0) 

• Second Amendment & gun rights (3%, +0) 

• Education policy (2%, -1) 

Lunchtime reading

Inside the White House freakout over the Epstein files: Great detail on last year’s crisis meeting. More problems for Vice President JD Vance, who apparently floated the idea of Tucker Carlson interviewing Epstein accomplice Ghislaine Maxwell.

Does Trump care about the 2026 midterms? They care about him: The president has made clear that Republicans are on their own when it comes to November’s elections. But they hold huge consequences for him.

You are reading Washington Secrets, a guide to power and politics in D.C. and beyond. It is written by Rob Crilly, who you can reach at secrets@washingtonexaminer.com with your comments, story tips, and suggestions. If a friend sent you this and you’d like to sign up, click here.

The annual matchup between Democrats and Republicans has been a fixture in the Washington, D.C., area for decades. The bipartisan event raises millions each year for local charities. Here is everything to know about the 2026 game.

When and where to watch the game

The Congressional Baseball Game will be played at Nationals Park, home of the MLB’s Washington Nationals, in the Navy Yard neighborhood of D.C., less than two miles from Capitol Hill. The game is scheduled to begin at 7:05 p.m. on Wednesday. 

Tickets are nearly sold out, though the game will be televised by C-SPAN and FOX Sports 1. C-SPAN, which airs congressional hearings and other political events daily, will provide an online livestream in addition to airing the program on its cable channel.

Notable players

Republicans and Democrats on Capitol Hill can’t claim to be professional athletes, even if they have plenty of experience playing legislative hardball.

One exception is Rep. Roger Williams (R-TX), the Republican team’s coach, who was drafted in the 25th round of the 1971 MLB draft. Williams played in the Atlanta Braves’ farm system and was an outfielder at Texas Christian University before that. Rep. Linda Sanchez (D-CA) will star opposite Williams as the Democrats’ team manager.

House Majority Leader Steve Scalise (R-LA) has been a major presence at the game since he was shot in 2017 during a baseball practice before the game. The game added the United States Capitol Police Memorial Fund to its list of charitable beneficiaries as a token of gratitude for the officers who protected the team. Scalise has hit a .333 average across previous congressional games.

Sen. Ruben Gallego (D-AZ) and Sen. Alex Padilla (D-CA) will round out the House-dominated Democratic team, while Sen. Joni Ernst (R-IA) and Sen. Eric Schmitt (R-MO) will fill in the roster for the Republicans. It remains to be seen whether members of the upper chamber will hold their own.

This year’s players have managed three home runs in previous years. Rep. Jimmy Panetta (D-CA), Rep. Greg Steube (R-FL), and Rep. Blake Moore (R-UT) are the players to watch.

Past results

The Congressional Baseball Game has been played on and off since 1909, and the GOP leads the series 47–42–1. Republicans will look to defend a five-game winning streak, while Democrats are eager for their first victory since 2019.

Republicans walloped their colleagues from across the aisle in 2025, winning 13–2.

New players this year

Team managers Williams and Sanchez have opted to largely maintain their 2025 rosters, though the political churn of Capitol Hill has necessitated some tweaks. 

Rep. Clay Fuller (R-GA), Rep. Craig Goldman (R-TX), and Rep. Matt Van Epps (R-TN) will debut this year for the Republicans. Fuller won an April special election to succeed former congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene, who participated in the game in 2021.

New for the Democrats are Rep. Christian Menefee (D-TX), Rep. Greg Casar (D-TX), Rep. Josh Riley (D-NY), Rep. Sarah Elfreth (D-MD), and Rep. Suhas Subramanyam (D-VA). 

Menefee is fresh off a home run in Texas’s 18th District, where the freshman congressman defeated longtime Rep. Al Green after their Houston districts were drawn together. Menefee will look to translate that political success to the baseball diamond.

Who has the edge?

The prediction market Kalshi is a “Hall of Fame” sponsor of the Congressional Baseball Game, though users are currently unable to place bets on its outcome.

The Democrats lost a valuable player in former Rep. Eric Swalwell, the California Democrat who resigned from the House in April amid sexual assault accusations. Swalwell participated in eight games and batted with a .200 average, an unimpressive number in the MLB but a decent performance in the congressional game. 

Republicans, meanwhile, are walking into Nationals Park with their “bases loaded” — a president in the White House and majorities in the House and Senate.

SOUTH CAROLINA AND NEVADA DEMOCRATS CHOSE THEIR CHALLENGERS FOR SWING RACES AND OTHER PRIMARY TAKEAWAYS

Still, as lawmakers go to bat nearly daily, everyone wins at the Congressional Baseball Game.

Ticket sales from the game, which attracts tens of thousands of baseball fans every year, benefit the Boys and Girls Clubs of Greater Washington, the Washington Nationals Philanthropies, the United States Capitol Police Memorial Fund, and other charities. The game raised more than $2.75 million last year, a record.

From South Carolina to Nevada, voters picked candidates for governor and the House, though some races remain undecided and are headed to runoffs. 

South Carolina

In South Carolina, the Republican gubernatorial primary is headed to a runoff on June 23, after a crowded field left no candidate with a sufficient margin of victory on Tuesday. 

The GOP runoff election will feature the top two finishers, state Lt. Gov. Pamela Evette, who President Donald Trump endorsed, and state Attorney General Alan Wilson. Evette secured nearly 29% of the vote, while Wilson took 26.1%. 

Reps. Ralph Norman (R-SC) and Nancy Mace (R-SC) failed to advance in the primary battle to succeed outgoing Gov. Henry McMaster (R-SC) in the solidly red state, finishing with 17% and 12% of the vote. 

On the Democratic side, voters chose a former professional basketball player to face the Republican nominee for governor in November. Jermaine Johnson represented a district in the Columbia area for three terms and handily defeated Charleston attorney Mullins McLeod and Greenville businessman Billy Webster. Johnson faces a tough path to victory this fall, as Democrats have not won a gubernatorial general election in South Carolina in nearly three decades. 

Another race that has gained attention is the state’s 1st Congressional District, which Mace represents. The incumbent lawmaker opted out of running for reelection this cycle, instead running for governor and setting the district up for a heated battle to succeed her. With no incumbent on the ballot, 11 Republican candidates and seven Democratic candidates lined up to capture their party’s primary nominations in the Lowcountry district.

On the Democratic side, two candidates advanced to a runoff on Tuesday. Retired Navy Vice Adm. Nancy Lacore received 36.5% of the votes, and Coast Guard veteran Mac Deford took away 28.9%. Lacore has said she was fired by Secretary of War Pete Hegseth without cause, making the story central to her campaign. She is now seeking to become just the second Democrat to hold the seat in over 40 years, after Republicans won the last election by 58.2% to 41.6%. 

“After 35 years in the Navy, Pete Hegseth removed Admiral Nancy Lacore from her post with no explanation,” Lacore wrote in a post to Facebook. “Now, she’s running for Congress to flip SC-01 blue — and her primary is on June 9th.”

The Republican side is also headed to a runoff on June 23. Charleston County Councilwoman Jenny Costa Honeycutt received 22.1% of the votes in the Tuesday primary, and state Rep. Mark Smith secured 18%.  

“It’s going to be a sprint to the finish,” Honeycutt told reporters Tuesday evening. “I am Lowcountry first. We are here to serve the Lowcountry. Folks love that message. That’s what resonated and got us to the first spot tonight. And that’s what we’re going to take the next two weeks. “

Nevada

Nevada is home to one of the most closely watched gubernatorial races in the nation. The state is deeply competitive, with Democrats eyeing Democratic state Attorney General Aaron Ford as their best bet to oust Republican Gov. Joe Lombardo. 

On Tuesday, both men won their party’s respective nominations. Roughly 165,000 votes were cast in the Democratic gubernatorial primary, while over 170,500 were cast in the Republican race, according to the New York Times. 

Ford is backed by former Vice President Kamala Harris and handily beat Washoe County Commissioner Alexis Hill. The attorney general has sought to center the race on affordability, accusing Lombardo of not doing enough to bring down the cost of living for residents while sitting in the governor’s mansion. Lombardo has pushed back, saying that since he became governor, “Inflation has come down, wages are rising, housing prices are stabilizing, and Nevada leads the nation in post-pandemic job creation, as well as both small business and wage growth.” 

Nevada’s 2nd Congressional District also held a primary election on Tuesday, handing a Trump-endorsed candidate a boost. As of early Wednesday, retired Air Force Lt. Col. David Flippo holds a lead with 45.7% of the vote. Former Nevada Senate Minority Leader James Settelmeyer sits at 35.3% with an estimated 83% of votes counted, according to the Associated Press. 

The president backed Flippo against Settelmeyer, who is endorsed by Lombardo, in the GOP primary. The endorsement likely carried great weight, as Trump carried the district by around 14 percentage points in 2024. 

The seat is vacant after Rep. Mark Amodei (R-NV) announced plans to retire, triggering a heated contest for the state’s only Republican-held congressional district. The district includes Reno and Carson City. 

California

In California, the results of the state’s open gubernatorial primary were also revealed on Tuesday, one week after the election was held. Republican Steve Hilton and Democrat Xavier Becerra have been projected as the top two vote finishers in the state’s jungle primary. 

Becerra received nearly 28% of the vote, and Hilton received 25%, according to the Associated Press. Democrat Tom Steyer came in third place with 22.5%. Hilton is aiming to become the first Republican since 2006 to flip the governor’s mansion red.

“In the weeks ahead, we will lay out my plan in detail to make our state Califordable – particularly for workers and small businesses,” the Republican candidate told NBC News. “We will draw a powerful contrast with Xavier Becerra, who represents more of the same cost, incompetence, and corruption.”

The results of a second House primary race were also revealed on Tuesday, a week after voters in California’s 22nd Congressional District in Bakersfield went to the polls. 

Progressive Randy Villegas was projected as the winner of the 22nd district’s Democratic primary. But his victory was viewed as a loss for party establishment leaders hoping to pit a more centrist candidate against Rep. David Valadao (R-CA). 

THUNE CALLS OUT ‘BIZARRE’ COPYCAT CANDIDATE IN DAN SULLIVAN SENATE RACE: ‘DESIGNED TO CONFUSE’

Valadao took 40.7% of the vote; Villegas secured 32.2%. Democrat Jasmeet Bains, the party establishment’s pick, is out of the race after coming in third, taking 27.2% of the ballots. 

“What you’re seeing play out in our race and in races all across the country is truly this fight for the soul of the Democratic Party and who we want to be as Democrats,” Villegas told the Washington Post. 

As a member of the Senate Intelligence Committee, I have seen firsthand how critical Section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act is to keeping Americans safe. FISA 702 authorizes the United States intelligence community to gather intelligence against certain foreigners overseas through their electronic communications. As a foreign intelligence tool, the government is prohibited from using FISA 702 to target U.S. nationals or anyone in the United States. 

Since Congress passed FISA 702 in 2008, the IC has relied on the authority for critical intelligence requirements. According to the IC, almost two-thirds of all intelligence briefed to the president of the United States last year contained information available only through FISA 702 collection, and a quarter of all National Security Agency intelligence reports contained FISA 702 information. FISA 702 is also instrumental in stopping terrorists and drug traffickers.

GOVERNMENT SPY POWERS TO LAPSE FRIDAY UNLESS CONGRESS CAN STRIKE DEAL

Given the unique threats posed by bad actors to the World Cup — with matches across the United States, Mexico, and Canada — it is important for the American people to understand the fraught environment we will be stepping into over the next month. While the majority of FISA 702 successes remain classified due to their sensitivity or ongoing operations, I am able to share a few declassified examples of how this critical tool has been used in recent years.

In the past several years, FISA 702 enabled the disruption of a terrorist attack against a Taylor Swift concert in Vienna, Austria. Tens of thousands of people bought tickets to this event, just as tens of thousands of fans have bought tickets for World Cup matches. 

Earlier this year, in the Mexican state of Jalisco, FISA 702 was instrumental in providing actionable intelligence to partners as they conducted a raid on El Mencho, the leader of one of the most powerful and murderous drug cartels in the world. Jalisco is home to the Estadio Akron stadium in Guadalajara, which will host World Cup matches. 

Finally, FISA 702 has been used to disrupt cyberattacks on critical energy and transportation infrastructure — just like those relied on by millions of die-hard soccer fans over the coming month.

The enemies of the United States recognize that the World Cup is a sensitive target. While the U.S. government has been working with partners in Mexico and Canada to increase security around matches and fan festival sites, the best defense is intelligence collection that enables authorities to disrupt threats and attacks well before they get to the front entrance of a stadium. Through targeting the electronic communications of violent terrorists and hardened cartel killers, FISA 702 is uniquely valuable in enabling the timely disruption of these types of threats. 

Unfortunately, at the eleventh hour, congressional Democrats have walked away from the conversation, going so far as to lead the effort to vote down a well-negotiated, bipartisan, three-year extension of FISA 702 that would have ensured critical collection occurred while incorporating additional transparency measures and privacy guardrails. 

GOP GROWS ANTSY OVER TRUMP INTEL PICK AS DEMOCRATS VOW SPY POWERS REVOLT

As World Cup matches kick off across the United States, do my colleagues truly wish to elevate a difference about who should temporarily lead an increasingly marginalized agency over a vital intelligence program that has contributed to saving the lives of thousands?

I hope that, before it is too late, they will see the light and work with Senate Republicans to extend this vital authority and continue to work together to protect Americans and our homeland.

Todd Young represents Indiana in the U.S. Senate and is a member of the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence.

Kiley waited several days to learn who his opponent would be, but with 92% of the vote now counted, the Associated Press declared that Pan will advance to the runoff later this year. He edged out Republican Michael Stansfield, narrowly avoiding a rare California race that would have boxed out a Democrat. As of Wednesday morning, Kiley has 45,006 votes, good for a share of 24.5%; Pan has 42,587, or 23.2%; while Stansfield has 36,961, or 20.1%.

Under California’s jungle primary system, the top two finishers advance to the Nov. 3 runoff if no candidate wins a majority outright.

Kiley, a two-term congressman who represents the 3rd Congressional District, announced in March that he would run as an independent candidate in the 6th District, where he resides, rather than as a Republican in the redrawn 3rd. The 6th District seat lumps conservative suburbs of Sacramento with liberal ones closer to California’s capital city.

Kiley said he had become “frustrated, sometimes disgusted, by the hyperpartisanship in Congress” and that he answers to constituents, “not party leaders.”

“The district has voted for candidates of all political stripes, and I think that that reflects the way that I’ve always approached my role as a representative,” Kiley told the Washington Examiner before the primary. “I’ve always put my district first and answered to my constituents, not party leaders in Sacramento or Washington, D.C., and I’ve been fortunate to get a significant number of votes from Democrats, Republicans, and independents in prior elections. I think we’re very well-positioned to advance in the primary, win the general election, and deliver effective independent leadership for this newly drawn district.”

On Capitol Hill, Kiley has emerged as one of the loudest critics of California’s mid-decade congressional redistricting, accusing Democrats of redrawing the map to weaken GOP incumbents. He has also voiced frustration with House leadership, including Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) and Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY), for failing to advance legislation to curb partisan redistricting.

Pan, a pediatrician and former state lawmaker, is hoping to hold Kiley accountable for supporting Trump’s One Big Beautiful Bill Act.

“We see a federal government that seems to be intentionally attacking health care, whether it’s taking away people’s health insurance, undermining public health to allow disease to spread, or cutting research for things like cancer treatments,” Pan told CalMatters in an interview.

KEVIN KILEY’S TWO-FRONT FIGHT: BATTLING CALIFORNIA REDISTRICTING WHILE DEFENDING HIS OWN SEAT

Pan was born in New York and raised in Pittsburgh by parents who emigrated from Taiwan. He graduated with a master’s degree in public health from Harvard University in 1998 and moved to the Sacramento area to accept a faculty position at the University of California, Davis.

He is known for writing some of California’s toughest vaccine mandates and said it was Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s recommendation to loosen those mandates that pushed him to jump into the congressional race.

The House passed the Secure America Act in a party-line vote on Tuesday after the Senate approved the measure last week.

HOUSE REPUBLICANS PASS IMMIGRATION ENFORCEMENT FUNDING BILL IN PARTY-LINE VOTE

The $70 billion reconciliation bill provides funding to the two main immigration enforcement agencies through Sept. 30, 2029. The legislation acts as an early gift ahead of Trump’s 80th birthday on Sunday.

The signing ceremony is scheduled to start at 10 a.m. Wednesday.