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Today’s top stories
Democratic candidate Abdul El-Sayed defeated Rep. Haley Stevens in Michigan’s primary and is now set to face Republican Congressman Mike Rogers in the November midterms. The two will be vying for a Senate seat that is being vacated by Democratic Sen. Gary Peters. The Senate race is expected to be a tough battle that Democrats see as a must-win to regain control of the chamber from Republicans.
People vote in the primary election at Northwestern High School in Detroit, Tuesday.
Nic Antaya/AP
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Nic Antaya/AP
- 🎧 A Republican hasn’t won a U.S. Senate race in Michigan since the ’90s, according to Michigan Public Radio’s Colin Jackson. El-Sayed built a younger coalition campaigning alongside Bernie Sanders and AOC. Jackson says he’ll now have to appeal to the traditional coalition Stevens relied on, which includes Black, working-class and Jewish voters. El-Sayed also faces a significant fundraising gap, as Republican groups have already committed at least $45 million against him. Rogers, an established Republican, appeals to the Make America Great Again base and has labeled El-Sayed as a communist and extremist — accusations the Egyptian-American calls baseless. To win the race, Rogers will need to attract MAGA Republicans without alienating independents who oppose President Trump.
A Senate committee is expected to vote today on whether to hold Dr. Anthony Fauci in contempt of Congress. The retired health official who directed the U.S. government’s coronavirus response invoked his Fifth Amendment right against self-incrimination last week during a hearing, refusing to answer lawmakers’ questions. Fauci has often clashed with Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., over the origins of the COVID-19 pandemic. In the days before the hearing, Paul released more than 1,000 pages of Fauci’s private diary entries, accusing him of hiding his uncertainty about the cause of the pandemic. The vote on Fauci comes a day after the Senate confirmed Dr. Erica Schwartz as the new director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, an agency with which Fauci closely worked during the pandemic.
At an event in Las Vegas yesterday, Trump pitched voters on his economic agenda, which he has been struggling to sell as prices have risen amid the U.S. and Israel’s war with Iran. Las Vegas relies heavily on tourism, and tipped workers say the president’s policies aren’t helping. A new Reuters/Ipsos poll shows that more Americans favor Democrats over Republicans on economic issues for the first time in nearly a decade. Trump continues to say the U.S. economy is thriving under his policies, including no taxes on tips, while blaming high prices on inherited conditions from Democrats.
- 🎧 Tipped workers in Vegas tell NPR’s Deepa Shivaram that they received higher tax refunds this year, but they are facing other economic challenges that have made things difficult. Tourism in the city declined more than 7% in 2025, according to the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority. Shivaram notes a decline in tourist numbers from Canada after Trump soured relations with the country over tariffs. Residents say Trump’s policy of no taxes on tips isn’t enough, especially as Vegas grapples with declining tourism and higher prices.
U.S. District Judge Amit Mehta reluctantly dismissed the conspiracy case against Stewart Rhodes, the founder of the far-right Oath Keepers, and several other key members. Juries previously convicted Rhodes and five others of attempting to overthrow the government through force, contributing to the violence and chaos as rioters breached the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021. The Department of Justice under the Trump administration moved to vacate the convictions and drop the case. Judge Mehta’s dismissal marks the conclusion of prosecutors’ efforts to hold Trump’s supporters accountable for their violent siege of the Capitol.
Living better
Living Better is a special series about what it takes to stay healthy in America.
Snacking culture has been forever changed by ultra-processed foods, which are designed for on-the-go convenience and can be found in vending machines across communities. Many pediatricians recommend that toddlers to tweens eat around three meals and two snacks a day. But that advice stems from studies that didn’t account for the rise of processed foods. These snacks can increase children’s intake of saturated fat, sodium, and sugar, and they’re often high in calories. To make sure children get the nutrients they need, researchers suggest these new rules for the current state of the food world:
- 🍎 Avoid snacks high in total carbohydrates, like crackers, pretzels and puffs. These foods often contain refined starches, which can spike blood sugar, leading to crashes that make kids crave more high-carb snacks.
- 🍎 Wean children off processed snacks and onto whole foods. Ultraprocessed snacks can tempt kids to eat even when they’re not hungry.
- 🍎 Focus on the quality of snacks over their frequency. Foods like fruits, nuts, beans, and dairy can enhance kids’ diets by increasing their intake of vitamins and fiber while helping to foster a love for vegetables, behavioral nutritionist Jennifer Orlet Fisher says.
- 🍎 Stop carrying ultraprocessed options in your purse or bag. When snacks aren’t available, children will stop associating your bag with snacks and will eventually no longer expect them.
Picture show
Saturday, June 13, 2026 — Festival goers cheer for The Hip Abduction at All Good Now festival.
KT Kanazawich for NPR
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KT Kanazawich for NPR
As the weather warms and the sun comes out, so do the Deadheads. These fans of the Grateful Dead gather, groove and keep the good vibes going even though there are no original band members on tour. From themed hangouts at Garcia’s, a Chicago venue dedicated to the band’s lead vocalist, to the All Good Now festival at the iconic Merriweather Post Pavilion in Maryland, fans spent this summer proving that the power of The Grateful Dead never stops. See photos from Deadhead celebrations from across the country.
3 things to know before you go
A man walks on the sandbank by the wreckage of a WWII German warship, emerged due to the drought, in front of Djerdap II, a large dam on the Danube River, between Romania and Serbia, near Prahovo, Serbia, Tuesday, Aug. 4, 2026.
Darko Vojinovic/AP
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Darko Vojinovic/AP
- Europe’s heat wave has drawn back the waters of Serbia’s river, revealing Nazi-era German warships that were sunk in 1944 during their retreat.
- The Dallas Zoo welcomed a new bundle of joy last week: a 230-pound male elephant calf. (via KERA News)
- Ahead of this weekend’s USA Triathlon in Milwaukee, University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee researcher Todd Miller deployed a custom solar-powered buoy in Lake Michigan. The device will track real-time water temperatures at different depths, helping the thousands of competing athletes prepare for race conditions before they take the plunge. (via WUWM)
This newsletter was edited by Suzanne Nuyen.
