Summary
Closing summary
Our live coverage is ending now. In the meantime, you can find all of our live US politics coverage here.
Here is a summary of the key developments from today:
-
Thomas Massie lost his House primary to Trump-backed challenger Ed Gallrein. Kentucky voters also nominated Trump-endorsed Andy Barr in his race to fill the seat Mitch McConnell will vacate when he retires next year. Trump administration officials said they have sent a message with Thomas Massie’s election loss while Massie suggested in his concession remarks that he’ll push back even harder against Donald Trump during his remaining time in office.
-
Other election results poured in as polls closed in Kentucky, Georgia, Alabama, Pennsylvania, Idaho and Oregon. Among the most notable: US senator Tommy Tuberville won the Republican nomination for Alabama governor, former Atlanta mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms won the Democratic nomination for governor in Georgia and state representative Chris Rabb won the Democratic nomination for Pennsylvania’s third congressional district. In Georgia, lieutenant governor Burt Jones and healthcare executive Rick Jackson will advance to a runoff in the Republican primary for the governor’s race, while congressmen Mike Collins and Derek Dooley will advance to a runoff for the Republican nomination to compete against Democrat Jon Ossoff for his senate seat this November.
-
Some election results are still forthcoming. In Alabama, for example, Barry Moore will advance to a runoff election in his bid for the Republican nomination for Tommy Tuberville’s Senate seat – although it’s currently unclear who he will run against.
-
The Senate voted to debate a war powers resolution that could end the war in Iran after Republican senator Bill Cassidy changed his vote to side with Democrats. Cassidy’s change of tune comes just days after he lost his primary election to a competitor Donald Trump endorsed. Cassidy lost the president’s support after he voted in favor of Trump’s conviction after the January 6 insurrection.
-
The IRS will not pursue back taxes from Donald Trump, his family or his companies under an addendum quietly added today to the settlement agreement that created a loosely controlled $1.776bn fund to compensate allies of the president. The arrangement was announced after Trump said he was dropping a $10bn lawsuit against the IRS and other specious claims against the government in exchange for creating the compensation fund.
-
Trump endorsed hardliner Ken Paxton over John Cornyn in a critical Texas US Senate race runoff. This has boosted the Texas attorney general’s chances of securing his party’s nomination for the Texas race in November’s midterm elections.
-
Trump told reporters he is giving Iran until the weekend or early next week, to make a deal to end the war. He said that yesterday he was within an hour of deciding to resume bombing Iran but that his negotiators had reported progress in talks.
-
When JD Vance was asked questions about the $1.8bn slush fund being available to people who attacked the Capitol building and police officers on January 6, he defended the fund, said anybody could apply for it and said claims would be investigated on a case-by-case basis.
-
Todd Blanche, the acting US attorney general, told lawmakers on Tuesday that he would not recommend a pardon for Ghislaine Maxwell, the longtime associate of Jeffrey Epstein who is serving a 20-year prison sentence for sex-trafficking crimes. He also defended the $1.8bn slush fund citing transparency for beneficiaries.
-
Police are investigating a deadly shooting at the Islamic Center of San Diego as a hate crime, after three people were killed and two suspects, also dead, were identified near the scene. Democratic leaders from across the country issued statements in the wake of the shooting calling out Islamophobia and advocating for stricter gun laws.
-
The United States will shrink the pool of military forces available to assist Nato allies in a crisis, Reuters reports, citing three sources familiar with the matter. The US is expected to share the news with its European allies on Friday. In similar news, the Pentagon will reduce the number of brigade combat teams assigned to Europe from four to three, according to a social media post from a defense department spokesperson.
Idaho governor Brad Little has won the Republican nomination in his bid for re-election, while attorney Terri Pickens has won the Democratic nomination.
In solidly red Idaho, Little is expected to win the general election in November.
Updated
The American Israel Public Affairs Committee (Aipac) congratulated Ed Gallrein on winning the Republican nomination for Kentucky’s House seat from congressman Thomas Massie.
“Massie has been one of the most consistently hostile voices in Congress toward the US-Israel relationship and the millions of Americans who support it. Our community was proud to support Gallrein and help ensure Massie’s defeat,” the organization said in a statement.
Aipac also congratulated other pro-Israel candidates, including Clay Fuller, who is running to fill Marjorie Taylor Greene’s vacant seat. “With tonight’s victories, more than 105 Aipac-backed candidates from both parties will have advanced to the general election this cycle,” the organization added.
Updated
Georgia Republicans Collins and Dooley advance to runoff for US Senate nomination to challenge Democrat Jon Ossoff
Congressmen Mike Collins and Derek Dooley will advance to a runoff for the Republican nomination to compete against Democrat Jon Ossoff for his Georgia Senate seat this November.
Georgia governor Brian Kemp has endorsed Dooley, but Donald Trump has not yet thrown his support behind any Republican candidate in the race.
The Ossoff campaign had its own words to share about the Republican competitors when the race was called:
“After Brian Kemp’s crushing refusal to run for Senate, Trump puppets Collins and Dooley have made themselves terminally inseparable from the toxic president,” said Ellie Dougherty, the Ossoff campaign’s communications director. “Now the failed congressman who is only a congressman because his daddy was a congressman and the failed coach who was only a coach because his daddy was a coach limp into a monthlong race-to-the-bottom that will surely leave both broke and unelectable. Meanwhile, the juggernaut Ossoff campaign will continue building insurmountable momentum to win decisively in November.”
Updated
Within minutes of polls closing in Oregon, the Associated Press has called two races: Democratic senator Jeff Merkley and governor Tina Kotek have both won their party’s nomination for re-election.
Updated
Polls have now closed in Oregon.
As my colleague, Chris Stein reminds us:
Blue-state Oregon lacks much in the way of competitive House and Senate seats, and changes in its federal delegation are unlikely this year. The most closely watched race may be its gubernatorial primary, where the Democratic governor, Tina Kotek, is vying for a second term amid lackluster approval ratings. Nine Democrats have filed to run against her, while 14 Republicans are standing in their primary. Among them is Chris Dudley, a former NBA player who won nearly 48% of the vote when he made an unsuccessful bid for governor in 2010; Christine Drazan, a state senator; state representative Ed Diehl; and Danielle Bethell, a county commissioner.
Updated
State representative Chris Rabb wins Democratic nomination for Pennsylvania’s third congressional district
In a solidly blue Philadelphia district, Chris Rabb is all but certain to win the general election for the House of Representatives seat.
“Chris Rabb is exactly what Democratic voters nationwide are demanding – progressive trailblazers who fight for their communities, not just when it’s politically convenient but when it’s morally necessary,” said Alexandra Rojas, executive director of Justice Democrats, a political action committee that championed Pramila Jayapal, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, Ilhan Omar and Rashida Tlaib and other progressive Democrats. “While the party machine has spent decades failing to meet the needs of its voters, Rabb has taken the fight to corporate interests, billionaire CEOs and Republican extremists his whole career.”
Here’s my colleague Joseph Gedeon with more on Rabb:
Chris Rabb, a state representative – endorsed by the congressional progressive caucus, Justice Democrats and the Philadelphia Inquirer editorial board – is running an unapologetically leftwing, grassroots campaign that backs universal healthcare, universal basic income, publicly owned grocery stores, removing big money from politics and ending US military aid to Israel following what he describes as a genocide in Gaza and apartheid in Palestine.
Vowing to end “business as usual” in Washington, Rabb has raised about twice as much as both his main competitors in the primary. “The ideology of machine politics is incumbency and concentration of power,” he said. “I am an aggressively anti-establishment Democrat.”
Updated
Former Atlanta mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms wins Democratic nomination for Georgia governor
Former Atlanta mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms has won the Democratic nomination for governor in Georgia. Bottoms will advance to the general election, where she’ll run against either healthcare executive Rick Jackson or lieutenant governor Burt Jones pending the results of a runoff for the Republican nomination.
Bottoms hopes to win a position no Democrat has held in more than two decades.
Updated
During his remarks conceding his race this evening, Kentucky congressman Thomas Massie suggested he’ll push back even harder against Donald Trump during his remaining time in office.
“Today is the six-month anniversary of the Epstein Files Transparency Act,” he said. “We’ve taken out two dozen CEOs, an ambassador, a prince, a prime minister, a minister of culture – and that was just six months. I’ve got seven months left in Congress.”
Massie’s suggestion that he’ll play tough with the president echoed senator Bill Cassidy’s move earlier today to side with Democrats on a war powers resolution after losing his re-election bid to a Trump-backed opponent.
Election results from Fulton county, Georgia, will be delayed after issues at the polls.
According to the county, two precincts will remain open until 11.02pm local time to ensure everyone can vote. The county will not release election results until “all polls have closed”, it said in a social media post.
The heavily Democratic county has long been at the center of Donald Trump’s false claims of election fraud in 2020, and the FBI raided the county’s election office in February.
Updated
Polls in parts of Idaho are closing now. The state is covered by two time zones and polls will close in the rest of the state in an hour, when polls in Oregon close as well. Here’s my colleague Chris Stein again on the races we’re watching there:
Idaho is one of the most Republican states in the nation, and the GOP is expected to once against sweep its House and Senate seats this year. Governor Brad Little is vying for a third term in office against nine primary challengers, but has outraised all of them. The situation is the same for Senator Jim Risch, who has three primary challengers but far more cash than any of them, and viewed as unlikely to lose either his primary, or the general election.
Updated
Mike Collins advances to runoff for GOP nomination for Georgia US Senate
The US representative Mike Collins, an immigration hardliner and Maga enthuasiast, advanced to the runoff for the Republican nomination for Georgia’s US Senate seat.
It is not yet clear whom Collins will run against, the US representative Buddy Carter or the former football coach Derek Dooley.
Republicans hope to unseat the senator Jon Ossoff, a young Democrat and strong fundraiser.
Updated
Tommy Tuberville wins Republican nomination for Alabama governor
US senator Tommy Tuberville has handily won the Republican nomination for Alabama governor. Tuberville has aligned himself closely with Donald Trump since his election to the Senate in 2020, and received the president’s endorsement.
Tuberville will face former senator Doug Jones in the general election. Jones lost his Senate seat to Tuberville in 2020 by a margin of about 20 points.
Updated
Donald Trump twisted the knife against outgoing US representative Thomas Massie, who lost the Republican primary race in Kentucky to White House-backed challenger Ed Gallrein.
“He was a bad guy,” Trump said in comments recorded by CBS News. “He deserved to lose.”
Updated
Janelle Stelson secures Democratic nomination for Pennsylvania House seat
Former broadcast anchor Janelle Stelson has won the Democratic nomination for Pennsylvania’s 10th congressional district, teeing her up to take on incumbent Republican representative Scott Perry in November.
Here’s my colleague Shrai Popat with more context on the race:
A group of Republicans in Pennsylvania are relaunching their efforts to unseat Congressman Scott Perry, the fervent Trump ally who represents the state’s 10th congressional district, according to plans first provided to the Guardian.
The “Republicans Against Perry” (Rap) group began in late 2023, backing the congressman’s Democratic opponent, Janelle Stelson, who ended up losing by less than two points in the 2024 election. Now, Rap is restarting their grassroots campaign on Thursday, which includes a slew of electronic billboards throughout the district.
Updated
In an address celebrating his victory, Ed Gallrein said his focus was now “on advancing the president’s and the party’s agenda to put America first, and Kentucky always”.
He also thanked his supporters, military colleagues and the Future Farmers of America.
Updated
Republicans Burt Jones and Rick Jackson advance to runoff in Georgia governor's race
Lieutenant governor Burt Jones and healthcare executive Rick Jackson will advance to a runoff in the Republican primary for the Georgia’s governor’s race.
Brad Raffensperger, the secretary of state who defied Trump’s efforts to meddle in the 2020 election, and attorney general Chris Carr were also prominent contenders who did not receive enough votes to proceed to the runoff.
Updated
Trump administration officials say they have sent a message with Thomas Massie’s election loss.
“Do not ever doubt President Trump and his political power. Fuck around, find out,” White House communications director Steven Cheung said in a social media post.
“It’s not a retribution campaign, it’s a send a message campaign,” a senior White House adviser told CNN. “This is basic political management of a party. You have to keep everybody on the reservation. Occasionally you have to shoot a hostage. The next one is Thomas Massie.”
Updated
Thomas Massie has conceded his race for re-election, telling supporters: “We’ve been honorable the whole time and we’re going to stay that way.”
He began his remarks: “I would have come out sooner, but I had to call my opponent and concede and it took a while to find Ed Gallrein in Tel Aviv.”
Massie also noted that the 2026 midterm elections are on track to be the most expensive elections in US history, with his own race breaking records as the most expensive House primary in history. “It’s not just the most expensive, this thing went on longer than Vietnam,” Massie said. “Why did this race get so expensive? Because they decided to buy the seat.”
Updated
As polls close in Alabama and Pennsylvania, here’s a reminder from my colleague Chris Stein of the races we’re watching in both states:
Alabama
After the supreme court’s ruling last month winnowing the Voting Rights Act and allowing states to eliminate majority-Black congressional districts, Alabama’s Republican leaders quickly moved to implement a new congressional map that is expected to cost Democrats a seat in the House of Representatives. That required rearranging its primary schedule for House districts, and thus voters on Tuesday will nominate candidates for only three of Alabama’s seven House districts, with primaries for the rest set for August.
The state is heavily Republican, and the most closely watched race is the gubernatorial election to replace Kay Ivey, who is term-limited. US senator Tommy Tuberville is the frontrunner in the Republican primary, while former senator Doug Jones is expected to take the Democratic nomination. Congressman Barry Moore is the leading Republican to replace Tuberville in the Senate, but faces six other candidates in the primary. Trump has endorsed Tuberville and Moore.
Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania looms larges in both parties’ aspirations for the midterm elections, with Democrats hoping to retake two swing House districts that they lost in 2024, and oust Republicans from two others.
Democratic primary voters in the seventh congressional district around Allentown will choose between firefighters’ union leader Bob Brooks, who has the support of the party’s establishment; Ryan Crosswell, a former federal prosecutor; Lamont McClure, a former county executive; and Carol Obando-Derstine, a former aide to US senator Bob Casey. The winner will take on the Republican congressman Ryan Mackenzie, who won his seat from a Democrat two years ago.
In the eighth congressional district in the state’s north-eastern corner, the mayor of Scranton, Paige Cognetti, faces no major challengers in her bid to oust Republican Rob Bresnahan Jr, who also flipped a Democratic-held seat in 2024.
In the Harrisburg-centered 10th district, county commissioner Justin Douglas is vying for the Democratic nomination against former broadcast anchor Janelle Stelson to take on incumbent Republican congressman Scott Perry.
Democrats also hope to oust moderate Republican Brian Fitzpatrick from the first district in suburban Philadelphia, and primary voters will weigh in on whether county commissioner Bob Harvie or former congressional science adviser Lucia Simonelli is a better bet.
And while there’s no doubt a Democrat will represent the third congressional district in Philadelphia, voters will first have to choose from three ideologically distinct candidates to replace retiring representative Dwight Evans.
Updated
Thomas Massie loses Kentucky House primary to Trump-backed Republican challenger
Ed Gallrein has won the Republican nomination for Kentucky’s fourth congressional District, beating incumbent Thomas Massie. Trump-backed Gallrein’s victory comes as Kentucky voters have also nominated Trump-endorsed Andy Barr in his race to fill the seat Mitch McConnell will vacate when he retires next year.
Here’s my colleague David Smith with more on Gallrein’s victory:
Donald Trump displayed his supremacy over the Republican party on Tuesday when voters in northern Kentucky rejected the maverick congressman Thomas Massie in favour of the US president’s hand-picked challenger.
Ed Gallrein, a retired Navy Seal and farmer who was recruited into the race by Trump, defeated the seven-term incumbent in a primary election in Kentucky’s fourth congressional district in what the president’s allies framed as a test of whether dissent could still exist inside today’s Republican party.
The election took place as voters in five other states – Pennsylvania, Georgia, Alabama, Oregon and Idaho – went to the polls on Tuesday, to decide their nominees for the November general election in what was the biggest primary night of the year so far. Earlier on Tuesday, Trump endorsed Ken Paxton, the scandal-plagued Texas attorney general running for Senate, in a primary runoff against incumbent John Cornyn, infuriating some in his party.
In Kentucky, Massie now joins the ranks of Liz Cheney, Adam Kinzinger, Jeff Flake, Mitt Romney and other elected Republicans who were either ousted or decided to retire because of their party’s capitulation to Trump.
Updated
Addressing lawmakers at a congressional picnic today, Donald Trump echoed remarks he made yesterday at a healthcare affordability event saying preventing Iran from obtaining a nuclear weapon was worth shaking up the US economy.
During a 20-minute address, the president also applauded the “Fostering the Future Act” from first lady Melania Trump, and her recent movie Melania; touted an upcoming UFC match planned to take place this summer on the White House’s South Lawn; and echoed his claims that he lost the 2020 election because it “was rigged”.
Updated
Senator Bill Cassidy has shared a statement on his decision to side with Democrats in calling for a war powers resolution that could end the war in Iran.
“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 social media post. “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.”
Updated
Andy Barr wins Kentucky Republican primary for retiring Mitch McConnell's Senate seat
Andy Barr has won the Republican nomination to fill the seat longtime Kentucky senator Mitch McConnell will vacate when he retires in January.
Currently serving as one of the state’s congressmembers, Barr was endorsed by Donald Trump and is expected to win the general election this November.
Updated
As most polling locations in Georgia close at 7pm local time, the secretary of state’s office says 11 polling places will remain open late due to issues with the electronic poll pads used to check in voters.
The poll sites in Atlanta’s suburbs will remain open between six minutes and one hour later than scheduled, according to a judge’s order. Another polling location north of Atlanta may remain open several hours longer, pending a judge’s order, after the poll site was closed due to a “law enforcement issue”, according to deputy secretary of state Matt Tyser.
Updated
With polls about to close in Georgia, and across the rest of Kentucky, here’s a reminder from my colleague Chris Stein of the races we’re watching in both states:
Kentucky
The most closely watched race in this deep-red state will be the primary of the Republican congressman Thomas Massie, who has broken with Trump on key issues in his second term and led the charge to release investigative files related to the disgraced financier Jeffrey Epstein. In the latest instance of the president retaliating against lawmakers who challenge his authority, Trump has backed retired US Navy Seal Ed Gallrein in the contest to unseat Massie from the northern Kentucky seat he has held since 2012, leading to the most expensive House primary in history.
Republican voters in Kentucky will also choose their candidate to replace Mitch McConnell, the former Senate GOP leader who is retiring. The frontrunners to succeed McConnell are congressman Andy Barr and former state attorney general and gubernatorial candidate Daniel Cameron. Among Democrats, Charles Booker and Amy McGrath, who lost Senate races in the state in 2022 and 2020, respectively, are vying for their party’s nomination once again.
Georgia
Republican voters will select their candidate to face off against the incumbent Democratic senator Jon Ossoff, who is seeking a second term representing a state Trump won two years ago. Three in the GOP are seen as frontrunners: Mike Collins and Buddy Carter, both congressmen, and Derek Dooley, a former football coach at the University of Tennessee. The outgoing Republican governor, Brian Kemp, has endorsed Dooley, but the president has not weighed in on the primary.
Georgia voters from both parties will also select candidates to replace Kemp as governor in a state that may play a major role in deciding the 2028 presidential election. Among the Republican candidates is Brad Raffensperger, the secretary of state who defied Trump’s efforts to meddle in the 2020 election, attorney general Chris Carr, healthcare executive Rick Jackson and lieutenant governor Burt Jones, who has Trump’s endorsement. Democratic frontrunners include the former Atlanta mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms, Geoff Duncan, a former Republican who served as lieutenant governor, state representative Derrick Jackson, former state senator Jason Esteves and former county CEO and state representative Mike Thurmond.
Pentagon to reduce number of brigade combat teams assigned to Europe from four to three
The Pentagon will reduce the number of brigade combat teams assigned to Europe from four to three, according to a social media post from a defense department spokesperson.
“This decision was the result of a comprehensive, multilayered process focused on US force posture in Europe,” said chief Pentagon spokesperson Sean Parnell. “This analysis is designed to advance President Trump’s America First agenda in Europe and other theaters, including by incentivizing and enabling our Nato allies to take primary responsibility for Europe’s conventional defense.”
Parnell added that the decision “is resulting in a temporary delay of the deployment of US forces to Poland”, which he called “a model US ally”. He said the Polish deputy prime minister had been briefed on the decision, and praised Poland for showing “both the ability and resolve to defend itself”, adding that “other Nato allies should follow suit”.
The announcement comes as the Trump administration has increasingly criticized Nato allies for “ripping off” the US by failing to spend adequately on their defence budgets and as the president says he is “absolutely without question” considering withdrawing from Nato.
Updated
The text of the two executive orders Donald Trump signed today is now available on the White House website.
The first order, titled “Restoring Integrity to America’s Financial System”, focuses on the alleged financial risks “posed by the extension of credit or financial services to the inadmissible and removable alien population”. The order directs the treasury secretary to issue an advisory to financial institutions listing “red flags” associated with “non-work authorized populations”.
The second order, titled “Integrating Financial Technology Innovation into Regulatory Frameworks”, is focused on removing “overly burdensome and fragmented regulations and supervisory practices that form barriers to entry and primarily benefit incumbent financial services firms”. The order directs the Federal Reserve Board to allow financial technology companies access to Fed Reserve services.
Updated
Polls have begun to close in Kentucky, where voting is spread between the eastern and central time zones. Voters there will decide who will fill Mitch McConnell’s Senate seat, as the longtime GOP senator retires, and whether congressman Thomas Massie will keep his seat in the House, after Donald Trump backed his opponent.
The Guardian follows the Associated Press in calling an election. We’ll bring you the results from Kentucky’s primary election as the AP calls the races.
Updated
Senate votes to debate war powers resolution that could end war in Iran
The Senate has voted to debate a war powers resolution that could end the war in Iran after Republican senator Bill Cassidy changed his vote to side with Democrats. Cassidy’s change of tune comes just days after he lost his primary election to a competitor Donald Trump endorsed. Cassidy lost the president’s support after he voted in favor of Trump’s conviction after the January 6 insurrection.
Since the war in Iran began in February, a growing number of Republicans have begun siding with Democrats to call for a war powers resolution. During today’s vote, Cassidy was joined by fellow Republicans Susan Collins of Maine, Lisa Murkowski of Alaska and Rand Paul of Kentucky.
Updated
Donald Trump has signed two executive orders related to financial regulations, the White House says. The first is aimed at preventing illicit financial activity and the second intends to streamline regulations for financial technology firms.
The White House did not release any additional details, but Semafor reports that the orders are “aimed at insulating the US’ financial system from undocumented immigrants and expanding fintech firms’ access to the Federal Reserve’s payment rails”, citing a White House official.
We’ll share more information when the text of the executive orders becomes available.
Instead of the usual appearance by press secretary Karoline Leavitt, reporters heard remarks today from JD Vance. The vice-president’s appearance paralleled a similiar address from secretary of state Marco Rubio two weeks ago.
The two men are thought to be the top contenders for the 2028 presidential ticket, but Vance discouraged speculation about a future run for office during his remarks today. “I’m not a potential future candidate, I’m a vice president,” he said. “And I really like my job, and I’m going to try to do as good of a job as I can.”
The IRS will not pursue back taxes from Donald Trump, his family or his companies under an addendum to the settlement agreement that created a loosely controlled $1.776bn fund to compensate allies of the president.
My colleague Sam Levine has more:
The justice department quietly added a provision barring the IRS from auditing Donald Trump’s tax returns on Tuesday, amending a widely criticized agreement that creates a secretive and loosely controlled $1.776bn fund to compensate allies of the president.
The addendum, signed by Todd Blanche, the acting attorney general, says the government is “forever barred” and “precluded” from examining the tax returns of Trump, his family, his company and “related companies”. The agreement applies to anything filed before the agreement was reached. It was posted on the justice department website on Tuesday morning, a day after the department announced creation of the fund.
The inclusion only adds to mounting scrutiny of the wider agreement reached on Tuesday. The arrangement was announced after Trump said he was dropping a $10bn lawsuit against the IRS and other specious claims against the government in exchange for creating the compensation fund. IRS officials recommended fighting Trump’s lawsuit, the New York Times reported on Tuesday, but the agency decided to settle it anyway, raising further questions about improper interference.
The fund will be run by five people – all subject to be fired at will by the president – and does not have to make public whom it awarded money to or its reason for doing so.
Updated
The United States will shrink the pool of military forces available to assist Nato allies in a crisis, Reuters reports, citing three sources familiar with the matter. The US is expected to share the news with its European allies on Friday.
Under the Nato Force Model, Nato member countries select a number of forces that would be available to assist allies if called upon. Although the exact number of US forces currently available under the compact is not known, “the Pentagon has decided to significantly scale down its commitment, said the sources, who requested anonymity to speak candidly about the plans”, Reuters reported.
The Nato alliance has been under increased strain since Donald Trump returned to the presidency. In April, Trump said he was “absolutely without question” considering withdrawing from Nato because of the European allies’ failure to take part in the US-Israeli war on Iran and has accused other member countries of “ripping off” the US by failing to spend adequately on their defence budgets.
Here’s more of our past coverage of the security alliance:
Updated
Here's a recap of the day so far:
-
Voters headed to the polls in primaries across six states – Pennsylvania, Georgia, Idaho, Oregon, Alabama and Kentucky – today, with the contest in Kentucky seen as a test of Donald Trump’s grip on the Republican party. Trump continued his tirade against the state’s congressman Thomas Massie even on primary day as he looks to remove him from office.
-
Trump endorsed hardliner Ken Paxton over John Cornyn in a critical Texas US Senate race runoff. This has boosted the Texas attorney general’s chances of securing his party’s nomination for the Texas race in November’s midterm elections.
-
Trump told reporters he is giving Iran until the weekend or early next week, to make a deal to end the war. He said that yesterday he was within an hour of deciding to resume bombing Iran but that his negotiators had reported progress in talks.
-
When JD Vance was asked questions about the $1.8bn slush fund being available to people who attacked the Capitol building and police officers on January 6, he defended the fund, said anybody could apply for it and said claims would be investigated on a case-by-case basis.
-
Todd Blanche, the acting US attorney general, told lawmakers on Tuesday that he would not recommend a pardon for Ghislaine Maxwell, the longtime associate of Jeffrey Epstein who is serving a 20-year prison sentence for sex-trafficking crimes. He also defended the $1.8bn slush fund citing transparency for beneficiaries.
-
Police are investigating a deadly shooting at the Islamic Center of San Diego as a hate crime, after three people were killed and two suspects, also dead, were identified near the scene. Democratic leaders from across the country issued statements in the wake of the shooting calling out Islamophobia and advocating for stricter gun laws.
Updated
In Pennsylvania today, Democratic primary voters in the seventh congressional district around Allentown will choose between firefighters’ union leader Bob Brooks, who has the support of the party’s establishment; Ryan Crosswell, a former federal prosecutor; Lamont McClure, a former county executive; and Carol Obando-Derstine, a former aide to US senator Bob Casey.
The winner will take on the Republican congressman Ryan Mackenzie, who won his seat from a Democrat two years ago.
In the eighth congressional district in the state’s north-eastern corner, the mayor of Scranton, Paige Cognetti, faces no major challengers in her bid to oust Republican Rob Bresnahan Jr, who also flipped a Democratic-held seat in 2024.
In the Harrisburg-centered 10th district, county commissioner Justin Douglas is vying for the Democratic nomination against former broadcast anchor Janelle Stelson to take on incumbent Republican congressman Scott Perry.
Democrats also hope to oust moderate Republican Brian Fitzpatrick from the first district in suburban Philadelphia, and primary voters will weigh in on whether county commissioner Bob Harvie or former congressional science adviser Lucia Simonelli is a better bet.
And while there’s no doubt a Democrat will represent the third congressional district in Philadelphia, voters will first have to choose from three ideologically distinct candidates to replace retiring representative Dwight Evans.
Updated
When JD Vance was faced with questions about the $1.8bn slush fund being eligible for people who attacked the Capitol building and police officers on January 6, he said anybody could apply for the fund.
“Republicans can apply for it. Democrats can apply for it,” he said. “The president has pardoned a number of Democrats who he felt were actually subject to this lawfare. I mean, if Hunter Biden wants to apply for this particular fund, he is welcome to.”
Vance said people who would receive this money were those who had been prosecuted completely disproportionately to any crime they’d ever committed, citing the example of Tina Peters.
Peters is a Colorado election clerk, who had her prison sentence commuted on Friday by Colorado’s governor, Jared Polis, after months of pressure from Trump and other conservatives. She was the county clerk in western Colorado’s Mesa county in 2020 when she allowed an unauthorized person to use a security badge and access her county’s voting equipment.
Vance said the claims for the fund would be evaluated on a case-by-case basis.
Updated
Blanche was also questioned by Patty Murray, a Democratic senator from Washington, about the creation of a nearly $1.8bn slush fund to compensate prosecuted allies of the president.
“What we are talking about is nothing short of the sitting President of the United States looting from the Treasury for his own gain,” said Murray. “Do you seriously think this arrangement is appropriate?”
Blanche defended the fund, and while he did not rule out that payments could be made to January 6 rioters, he said there would be transparency about the beneficiaries.
Blanche said: “The president did not set up this fund, it’s not a slush fund. It’s been done many times; we have lots of funds.”
Updated
Todd Blanche says he would not recommend a pardon for Ghislaine Maxwell
Todd Blanche, the acting US attorney general, told lawmakers on Tuesday that he would not recommend a pardon for Ghislaine Maxwell, the longtime associate of Jeffrey Epstein who is serving a 20-year prison sentence for sex-trafficking crimes.
Blanche’s comments came during a Senate hearing on Tuesday, where he was testifying before the appropriations subcommittee over budget requests for the justice department.
During one exchange, Chris Van Hollen, a Democrat from Maryland, asked Blanche whether the justice department, and he as the acting attorney general, could commit to not recommending a pardon for Maxwell.
“Yes, I can commit to that, of course,” Blanche, who is a former personal lawyer for Trump, responded.
The statement comes as Maxwell exhausted a series of appeals of her conviction, with the US supreme court in October declining to hear her petition.
'Ken Paxton is a disaster': Texas congresswoman Crockett on Trump endorsement
Speaking at an event in South LA on Tuesday morning, Texas congresswoman Jasmine Crockett said she was a “bit speechless” when informed by the Guardian that Trump had just endorsed Ken Paxton for Senate.
“Ken Paxton is a disaster,” Crockett said, speaking from Dulan’s soul food restaurant, where she endorsed HHS Secretary Xavier Becerra for governor of California. “This is the crème de la crème of the Republican Party nowadays.”
The Democratic congresswoman ticked through Paxton’s vulnerabilities: his impeachment, the federal investigations, and his extramarital affairs.
“I wish people would wake up and recognize that the party of law and order is no longer there. The party of family values [is no longer there] because he has this long history of cheating on his wife and using taxpayer dollars,” she said. “It is going to be a fun time for the Democrats if for some reason Ken Paxton makes it through that primary.”
Crockett lost the Democratic nomination for Senate to James Talarico.
“It doesn’t matter who wins this runoff. We already know who we’re running against: the billionaire mega-donors and their corrupt political system,” said Talarico, in response to Trump endorsing Paxton. “For decades, John Cornyn and Ken Paxton have embodied a broken politics that enriches wealthy donors while costs skyrocket for the rest of us.”
Updated
The National Association for the Advancement of Colored People launched a campaign today calling on Black athletes, their families, friend and supporters to hold athletic and financial support from public universities in states that have moved to weaken Black voting representation in the wake of the Supreme Court’s 6-3 ruling in Louisiana v. Callais.
The “Out of Bounds” campaign was launched because the NAACP believes the ongoing redistricting has gutted what was left of the Voting Rights Act.
Eight priority states – Tennessee, Louisiana, Alabama, Florida, Mississippi, South Carolina, Texas, and Georgia – and well-financed public athletic programs have been identified.
The NAACP’s ask is that top football and basketball players actively being recruited withhold their commitments until the states restore fair congressional maps and meaningful Black representation.
Ken Paxton said in a post on X that he was “incredibly honored” to have received Donald Trump’s endorsement.
No one has ever fought harder for the American people than President Trump, and I look forward to championing his America First agenda in the Senate!
Trump endorses hardliner Ken Paxton over John Cornyn in critical Texas US Senate race runoff
And right on time, Donald Trump has endorsed hardliner Ken Paxton in his primary challenge to veteran Republican US senator John Cornyn, boosting the Texas attorney general’s chances of securing his party’s nomination for a critical Texas race in November’s midterm elections.
In a lengthy post on Truth Social announcing the endorsement, Trump called Paxton “a true MAGA Warrior who has ALWAYS delivered for Texas, and will continue to do so in the United States Senate.”
I know Ken well, have seen him tested at the highest and most difficult levels, and he is a WINNER! Ken is a Strong Supporter of TERMINATING THE FILIBUSTER and, very importantly, THE SAVE AMERICA ACT, something which polls at 87%, including Dumocrats, and yet can’t seem to get approved. Perhaps Ken can help move these important elements of Government forward because with the Filibuster, as an example, the Democrats will terminate it on their First Day in Office, giving us two extra States, D.C. and Puerto Rico, and a greatly enlarged Supreme Court of the United States, probably going with their Dream Number of 21 Justices from the 9 that we currently have — And these new Justices will be Radical Left Lunatics! Two years ago, our Country was DEAD — Now we have the “HOTTEST” Country anywhere in the World — And I want to keep it that way. Ken Paxton will help me do that, MAKING AMERICA BIGGER, BETTER, AND STRONGER THAN EVER BEFORE!
He will tirelessly fight to continue the Great Growth of our Economy, Cut Taxes and Regulations (I just delivered the Largest Tax and Regulation Cuts in American History!), and Advance MADE IN THE U.S.A., Unleash American Energy DOMINANCE, Champion Texas Oil & Gas, Advocate for our Amazing Farmers and Ranchers, Promote School Choice, Keep our Border SECURE, Stop Migrant Crime, Support our Incredible Military/Veterans, Safeguard our Elections, and Protect our always under siege Second Amendment.
Scandal-scarred Paxton faces Cornyn, an old guard Republican, in a 26 May runoff after neither secured a majority in their three-way March primary election. Both candidates had tried to position themselves as closely to Trump as possible, but some Republican leaders had worried that Paxton could endanger a typically safe seat.
In his endorsement announcement, Trump said Cornyn was “a good man, and I worked well with him, but he was not supportive of me when times were tough.”
“John was very late in backing me in what turned out to be a Historic Run for the Republican Nomination, and then, the Presidency, itself,” he added.
Trump in March said he would ask the candidate he did not endorse to drop out of the race, which has been one of the nation’s costliest US Senate primary contests.
The victor of the runoff will face off against Democratic nominee James Talarico, a state lawmaker and Presbyterian seminarian who has explicitly appealed to independents and moderates in a state that has long been dominated by Republicans.
Updated
The president also said he will announce his endorsement in the heated Republican Senate runoff contest in Texas between US senator John Cornyn and the state’s attorney general, Ken Paxton, this afternoon.
Going to make an endorsement around 12:30-1 o’clock. I hope you find it good.
“I’ve pretty much always known who I was going to endorse,” Trump said, adding, “I think it’s a good time” to do so.
Trump calls ballroom his 'gift' to the country and says it will 'shield' all of Washington DC
Trump also spoke in detail about the security of his proposed White House ballroom, calling it his “gift” to the country, as dozens of workers in safety vests hammered, welded and moved materials behind him.
The ballroom site is still open-air and, per the press pool reporter, the lowest portion of the construction site appeared to be approximately three stories deep.
He said the construction began six stories underground. The ballroom has a drone-proof roof and it will have a drone port on the roof where unlimited drones can land, he said, acting as a “shield” to protect the White House campus.
The roof will have “the greatest drone empire that you’ve ever seen and it’s going to protect Washington”, he said, adding that the ballroom was a social and security gift for future presidents – and the country.
When this opens, I’ll be here for a very short period of time. This is really being built for other presidents. This is my gift to the United States of America.
Trump said the ballroom project was within the proposed budget and timeline and the only thing they have changed from the start is that the size of the building has doubled.
This is a shield that protects everything that’s inside, everything that’s on top.
Updated
Trump also spoke about the prayer rally held in Washington DC Sunday, describing it as a “beautiful day”.
“I think religion is very important for a country,” he said. “This country was built largely on religion.”
Religion is making a comeback, the president said, claiming that churches are fuller today than they were three years ago.
“Christianity, it’s a great thing for our country,” he said. “I mean, so many of the things that we we’ve done, the successes that we’ve had have been based on Christianity and religions.”
Donald Trump says 'Cuba is calling us' and that US could reach diplomatic deal with Cuba
Trump said he feels confident that the US could reach a diplomatic deal with Cuba, and that he wants to help the Cuban people.
“Look, Cuba is calling us. They need help, but Cuba is a failed nation. Cuba needs help, and we’ll do that,” he said.
“I am very prone toward the Cuban Americans. They’re incredible people. I want to help them now. They have family members in Cuba. They’ve been treated very, very badly.”
He said Cuba’s had a tough regime and now the country needs help and the US is ready to help.
Updated
Trump told reporters he is giving Iran until the weekend or early next week, to make a deal to end the war.
He said that yesterday he was within an hour of deciding to resume bombing Iran but that his negotiators had reported progress in talks.
Trump said:
I never tell anybody when. But they knew that we were very close. I would say we were. I was an hour away from making the decision to go today, and we would probably not be talking about a beautiful ballroom today. We’d be talking about that.
I had made the decision, so they called up. They had heard I made the decision. They said, sir, could you give us a couple of more days because we think they’re being reasonable.
He added:
Well, I mean, I’m saying 2 or 3 days, maybe Friday, Saturday, Sunday something. Maybe early next week, a limited period of time, because we can’t let them have a new nuclear weapon.
Updated
Trump announces he will be endorsing candidate for Texas senate race today
The president held an impromptu news conference against the backdrop of the White House’s proposed ballroom’s construction Monday morning. He spoke about the ballroom, Iran, Cuba, the Kentucky congressional race, and the new “reflecting lake”, which he wants to inaugurate before July 4.
While showing reporters how the construction of the ballroom was coming along, he said: “This is all my money and donor’s money. This is tax free.”
“It goes down deep and it’s titanium, which is the strongest of all of the metals, much stronger than steel,” Trump said, describing that the ballroom was a gift from him to the country. “Take as an example what happened a couple of weeks ago at the White House correspondents’ dinner could not happen here.”
Trump answered questions about US foreign policy related to Cuba, while still holding a large photo of what the constructed ballroom would look like.
“Look, Cuba is calling us,” he said. “They need help. Cuba is a failed nation.”
While speaking about Iran, amid loud noises of what sound like hammers and chisels, Trump said he agreed to give Iran “maybe until early next week” to reach a deal with the US.
“I won’t let the world be blown up on my watch,” he said while talking about Iran’s nuclear program.
After answering a few questions about Massie, the Republican candidate standing against the Trump-endorsed candidate in Kentucky, Trump again began speaking about the ballroom and how it would change the face of the White House.
On Massie, Trump said he’s “the worst congressman,” and “not even Republican.”
Trump said he would be endorsing a candidate for the senate race in Texas in the afternoon today.
“There are those that say whoever I endorse will win,” he said. “But I don’t like to say that, I don’t like to brag.”
Updated
In Oregon, the most closely watched race may be its gubernatorial primary, where Democratic governor Tina Kotek is vying for a second term amid lackluster approval ratings.
Nine Democrats have filed to run against her, while 14 Republicans are standing in their primary. Among them is Chris Dudley, a former NBA player who won nearly 48% of the vote when he made an unsuccessful bid for governor in 2010, Christine Drazan, a state senator, state representative Ed Diehl and Danielle Bethell, a county commissioner.
And in Idaho, the GOP is expected to once against sweep its House and Senate seats this year. Governor Brad Little is vying for a third term in office against nine primary challengers, but has outraised all of them. The situation is the same for senator Jim Risch, who has three primary challengers but far more cash than any of them, and viewed as unlikely to lose either his primary, or the general election.
Voters in Alabama will also come out to pick their candidates today. New congressional maps in the state have cost Democrats a seat in the House of Representatives.
The primary schedule for House districts was rearranged, and thus voters today will nominate candidates for only three of Alabama’s seven House districts, with primaries for the rest set for August.
The state is heavily Republican, and the most closely watched race is the gubernatorial election to replace Kay Ivey, who is term-limited. US senator Tommy Tuberville is the frontrunner in the Republican primary, while former senator Doug Jones is expected to take the Democratic nomination.
Congressman Barry Moore is the leading Republican to replace Tuberville in the Senate, but faces six other candidates in the primary. Trump has endorsed Tuberville and Moore.
Pennsylvania looms larges in both party’s aspirations for the midterm elections, with Democrats hoping to retake two swing House districts that they lost in 2024, and oust Republicans from two others.
Democratic primary voters in the seventh congressional district around Allentown will choose between firefighter’s union leader Bob Brooks, who has the support of the party’s establishment, Ryan Crosswell, a former federal prosecutor, Lamont McClure, a former county executive, and Carol Obando-Derstine, a former aide to US senator Bob Casey. The winner will take on Republican congressman Ryan Mackenzie, who won his seat from a Democrat two years ago.
In the eighth congressional district in the state’s north-eastern corner, mayor of Scranton Paige Cognetti faces no major challengers in her bid to oust Republican Rob Bresnahan Jr, who also flipped a Democratic-held seat in 2024.
In the Harrisburg-centered 10th district, county commissioner Justin Douglas is vying for the Democratic nomination against former broadcast anchor Janelle Stelson to take on incumbent Republican congressman Scott Perry.
Democrats also hope to oust moderate Republican Brian Fitzpatrick from the first district in suburban Philadelphia, and primary voters will weigh in on whether county commissioner Bob Harvie or former congressional science advisor Lucia Simonelli is a better bet.
And while there’s no doubt a Democrat will represent the third congressional district in Philadelphia, voters will first have to choose from three ideologically distinct candidates to replace retiring representative Dwight Evans.
While the most watched race is in Kentucky, the primary races in Georgia – one for the seat of a senator and another for the governor – have also gathered a lot of interest.
In Georgia, Republican voters will choose who will face off incumbent Democratic Senator Jon Ossoff. Mike Collins and Buddy Carter, both congressmen, and Derek Dooley, a former football coach at the University of Tennessee, are three of the main contenders.
So far, the president has not endorsed anybody. Brian Kemp, the outgoing Republican governor, has endorsed Dooley.
Kemp also needs to be replaced as the governor. Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger, attorney general Chris Carr, healthcare executive Rick Jackson and lieutenant governor Burt Jones are among the Republican candidates. Jones has Trump’s endorsement.
From the Democrats, those vying for the governor’s seat include former Atlanta mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms, Geoff Duncan, a former Republican who served as lieutenant governor, state representative Derrick Jackson, former state senator Jason Esteves and former county CEO and state representative Mike Thurmond.
Updated
Police were investigating a shooting in the US state of California as a hate crime on Tuesday after a pair of teenage gunmen killed three people at a mosque complex.
Tearful women emerged from a center set up to reunite families caught up in the shooting, and yellow police tape blocked access to the Islamic Center of San Diego, where the victims were found on Monday, AFP reported.
Police said emergency response teams found the victims, all men, outside the sprawling complex, before later finding the shooters, aged 17 and 18, dead in a car from apparent self-inflicted gunshot wounds.
The US government has said it will increase the number of white South Africans it admits as refugees this year from about 7,500 to 17,500, claiming that “unforeseen developments in South Africa created an emergency refugee situation.”
Since starting his second term in office last year, Donald Trump has repeatedly made false claims that white Afrikaners are racially targeted and face a “white genocide”, which South Africa’s government has furiously rebutted.
His administration also cut aid to South Africa, boycotted the G20 summit in Johannesburg last year and disinvited South Africa from this year’s G20, which will be held at one of Trump’s resorts in Miami.
The US began admitting white South Africans as refugees in May 2025, while suspending the refugee settlement programme for people fleeing war and persecution in countries including Afghanistan, the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Sudan. In the year ending in September 2024, the last full fiscal year before Trump took office, the US admitted more than 100,000 refugees.
On Monday, the US state department sent Congress an emergency notice, stating that it would take up to 17,500 Afrikaners as refugees in the year ending in September. In October, the government had said it would admit just 7,500 refugees in total, mainly white South Africans.
Hegseth breaks tradition to share stage with Massie rival Gallrein
Defense secretary Pete Hegseth visited Kentucky on Monday to support Thomas Massie’s rival Ed Gallrein in a significant a break from tradition.
Hegseth said he was speaking “as a private citizen” and that Gallrein is a “warfighter”.
“President Trump told me, when he first offered me this job, he said, ‘Pete, you’re gonna have to be tough as shit,’” Hegseth said.
“But that’s also what Ed represents, a warfighter, a man forged through service.”
“I’m here in my personal capacity as a private citizen, a fellow American, and a fellow combat veteran here to support Navy Seal Ed Gallrein,” he added.
“President Trump does not need more people in Washington who are trying to make a point, especially from his own party, he needs people willing to help him win to vote with him when it matters the most.”
Updated
Voters in six states head to polls with all eyes on Kentucky primary race
Hello and welcome to the US politics live blog.
Voters will head to the polls in primaries across six states today, with the contest in Kentucky seen as a test of Donald Trump’s grip on the Republican party.
Trump launched a tirade against the state’s congressman Thomas Massie over the weekend as he looks to remove him from office.
Massie is one of very few senior Republicans who has dared to defy Trump, with the president calling him the “worst and most unreliable Republican Congressman in the history of our Country”. He went on to call on Kentucky voters to “vote the bum out on Tuesday” on social media.
Massie has been a consistent thorn in Trump’s side, voting against his signature tax and spending cuts bill, helping to force the justice department to release the Jeffrey Epstein files, and insisting on congressional oversight over the military actions in Venezuela and Iran. Now he faces a bruising primary against his Trump-endorsed challenger, Ed Gallrein.
Republican voters in Kentucky will also choose their candidate to replace Mitch McConnell, the former Senate GOP leader who is retiring. The frontrunners to succeed McConnell are congressman Andy Barr and former state attorney general and gubernatorial candidate Daniel Cameron.
Among Democrats, Charles Booker and Amy McGrath, who lost Senate races in the state in 2022 and 2020, respectively, are vying for their party’s nomination once again.
Meanwhile, voters in Pennsylvania, Georgia, Alabama, Oregon and Idaho will also head to the polls to select candidates ahead of November’s midterm elections.
In other developments:
-
Police are investigating a deadly shooting at the Islamic Center of San Diego as a hate crime, after three people were killed and two dead suspects were identified near the scene. Democratic leaders from across the country issued statements in the wake of the shooting calling out Islamophobia and advocating for stricter gun laws.
-
At a healthcare affordability event, Donald Trump announced that his website TrumpRx.gov will now include a catalog of generic drugs. Trump touted the move as “increasing the number of drugs available on TrumpRx by nearly seven times, adding over 600 affordable generics to the website”.
-
Trump moved to dismiss a $10bn lawsuit against the Interal Revenue Service and his administration created a $1.8bn “anti-weaponization” fund to compensate his allies for supposed persecution by the government. Democrats harshly criticized the settlement, saying it amounts to the creation of a “slush fund” for the president’s allies.
-
An effort to reshape South Carolina’s congressional districts got its first full airing Monday in the state House. Lawmakers launched a lengthy discussion over the consequences of acceding to Trump’s calls for a US House map that could yield a clean sweep for Republicans.
-
Trump also said he is requesting the attorney general and Justice Department investigate mail-in voting in Maryland. In a post on Truth Social, Trump alleged that Maryland had “sent out 500,000 Illegal Mail In Ballots” and blamed “the Corrupt Governor of the State, Wes Moore”, a Democrat, who “allowed this to happen in order to make sure that Democrats win”.
-
Nancy Pelosi has endorsed San Francisco supervisor Connie Chan in the race to fill the seat Pelosi will vacate at the end of her term.
-
The Trump administration has proposed allowing up to 17,500 white South Africans to enter the United States as refugees, beginning in the new fiscal year, CNN reports, citing an emergency determination letter sent to Congress that it obtained.
Updated
