March 18, 2026

The New York Times' live updates of business developments are here. From the pinned item at 2:42 pm ET: “The Federal Reserve held interest rates steady on Wednesday, as most officials maintained earlier projections for at least one quarter-point reduction in borrowing costs this year. The decision marks the second meeting in a row in which the central bank has opted against a policy move, instead voting to keep rates unchanged at a range of 3.5 percent to 3.75 percent. Stephen I. Miran, a governor appointed by ... [Donald] Trump last year, issued his fifth straight dissent and voted for a quarter-point cut.... In its policy statement on Wednesday, the Fed said the economic implications from the [Iran war] were 'uncertain.'”

Sorry, this is just a picture. Haven't been able to locate the original. 

Ah, the Gas Pump Blues:  

“Apparently I’m an idiot.” Woman at Pennsylvania gas station who voted for Trump rips into him, calls him “a worthless pile of sh*t”.

[image or embed]

— Mike Sington (@mikesington.bsky.social) March 17, 2026 at 6:23 PM

     ~~~ Thanks to RAS for the link. 

Isabel Kershner & Amelia Nierenberg of the New York Times: “Israel’s military said on Wednesday that it had killed [Esmaeil Khatib, the Iranian intelligence minister,] in an overnight airstrike. The Iranian president, Masoud Pezeshkian, confirmed the killing in a social media post later in the day, calling it 'a cowardly assassination.' Mr. Khatib is the latest top Iranian official to be killed since the United States and Israel launched their joint attack last month.... The Israeli military said Mr. Khatib’s ministry oversaw 'surveillance, espionage, and the execution of covert operations worldwide,' particularly against the state of Israel. He also played a significant role in the brutal crackdown on the recent anti-government protests in Iran, and led his ministry’s 'terrorist activities against Israeli and American targets around the world,' the Israeli military said.”

akaWendy linked a couple of good columns this morning, and here's one of them: ~~~

~~~ Anne Applebaum of the Atlantic: “Donald Trump does not think strategically. Nor does he think historically, geographically, or even rationally. He does not connect actions he takes on one day to events that occur weeks later. He does not think about how his behavior in one place will change the behavior of other people in other places. He does not consider the wider implications of his decisions. He does not take responsibility when these decisions go wrong. Instead, he acts on whim and impulse, and when he changes his mind — when he feels new whims and new impulses — he simply lies about whatever he said or did before.” Then she makes her case. Thanks to akaWendy for the gift link.

Here's the Other. Jonathan Chait of the Atlantic: “In February 2025, Donald Trump nominated Joe Kent, a 2020-election conspiracy theorist with links to the Proud Boys and white supremacists, as head of the National Counterterrorism Center. What could possibly go wrong?... [Kent's resignation letter demonstrates the] kind of conspiratorial thinking is essential to the MAGA movement. Unable to entertain the thought that Trump himself might fail, the president’s supporters insist that only treachery can explain the constant betrayals and catastrophes they see.... The theory that Trump can do no wrong is also propounded, obviously, by Trump himself. Accordingly, he responded to Kent’s resignation by telling reporters, “I always thought he was weak on security, very weak on security.... Kent’s resignation, and the administration’s response, reveal one of the paradoxes of MAGAthink: the Great Man of History as dupe.” ~~~

~~~ Michelle Goldberg of the New York Times: “Joe Kent, Donald Trump’s director of the National Counterterrorism Center..., [who resigned Tuesday,] is a deeply paranoid man with roots on the far right....  It was an act of profound irresponsibility, bordering on vandalism, for Trump to make him one of the highest-ranked intelligence officials in the country. But none of that is likely to stop Kent’s resignation from cementing the emerging narrative, on both the right and the left, that Israel has dragged America into this deeply unpopular war. It’s a powerful story because it’s partly rooted in truth, even if it taps into old antisemitic tropes about occult Jewish control.... A major distortion in Kent’s [resignation] letter is that it presents Trump as a naïve victim of the Israelis rather than an eager collaborator.”

Manny Fernandez & Sarah Hurtes of the New York Times: “Ana Murguia and ... Debra Rojas say that [Cesar Chavez] sexually abused them for years when they were girls, from around 1972 to 1977. He was in his 40s and had become a powerful, charismatic figure who captured global attention as a champion of farmworker rights. The two women have not shared their stories publicly before, and an investigation by The New York Times has uncovered extensive evidence to support their accusations and those raised by several other women against Mr. Chavez, the United Farm Workers co-founder who died in 1993 at the age of 66.... The abuse allegations appear to be part of a larger pattern of sexual misconduct by Mr. Chavez, much of which has never been publicly revealed. The Times investigation found that Mr. Chavez also used many of the women who worked and volunteered in his movement for his own sexual gratification. His most prominent female ally in the movement, Dolores Huerta, said in an interview that he sexually assaulted her, a disclosure she has never before made publicly.” The link appears to be a gift link. ~~~

     ~~~ Marie: I don't know any of these women, but I feel safe in saying their stories are true. This is how it was back then (and before then, I assume). The police would not help a woman who had been raped, especially not a woman of color. This is why Donald Trump said so confidently, "When you're a star, they let you do it." No, Donald, it wasn't because you were a "star." Hundreds of thousands of White American men who had the slightest bit of status or power -- like maybe they owned a small plumbing company or were on a small-town municipal council -- could "do it."  

The New York Times is liveblogging Sen. Markwayne Mullin's Senate confirmation hearings. “Senator Markwayne Mullin of Oklahoma is appearing at a confirmation hearing. Senator Rand Paul of Kentucky opened with pointed statements about Mullin’s character, calling him someone who applauds violence.” ~~~

I just wonder if someone who applauds violence against their political opponents is the right person to lead an agency that has struggled to accept limits to the proper use of force. -- Rand Paul, to Markwayne Mullin, opening Mullin's confirmation hearing ~~~ 

~~~ Michael Gold of the New York Times: “Senator Markwayne Mullin’s confirmation hearing began on Wednesday with a bitter and fiery personal clash, as Senator Rand Paul accused Mr. Mullin of having 'anger issues' and questioned whether he had the temperament to lead the Department of Homeland Security. Mr. Paul, the Kentucky Republican who is the chairman of the Senate’s homeland security committee, opened the hearing by blasting Mr. Mullin for calling Mr. Paul a 'freaking snake' and for telling a group of constituents that he 'understands completely' why Mr. Paul’s neighbor assaulted him in 2017.... Mr. Mullin, an Oklahoma Republican, acknowledged that he had said he “understood” the reason for the assault and did not apologize for his remarks. Instead, he accused Mr. Paul of smearing his character.... Mr. Paul’s opening statement set the tone for a strikingly contentious hearing in a body that often prides itself on collegiality.”

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The New York Times' live updates of developments in the Trump/Netanyahu war are here. From the pinned item at 5:20 am ET: “Iran launched retaliatory attacks against Israel on Wednesday morning, killing at least two people, a day after Israeli strikes killed Ali Larijani, the head of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council, and Gholamreza Soleimani, the commander of a large militia aligned with the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps.” 

Gregory Svirnovskiy & Jacob Wendler of Politico: “... Donald Trump on Tuesday fumed at longtime American allies he says aren’t doing enough to help the U.S. and Israel in their war against Iran, now arguing that their assistance was never needed after spending days publicly requesting their help. 'Because of the fact that we have had such Military Success, we no longer “need,” or desire, the NATO Countries’ assistance — WE NEVER DID!' he wrote on Truth Social. 'Likewise, Japan, Australia, or South Korea. In fact, speaking as President of the United States of America, by far the Most Powerful Country Anywhere in the World, WE DO NOT NEED THE HELP OF ANYONE!'... Trump continued to chastise allies in the Oval Office on Tuesday afternoon, telling reporters that “all of our NATO allies were very much in favor of what we did.'... [Sen. Lindsey] Graham [R-S.C.] wrote on X Tuesday that 'never heard him so angry in my life.'” (MB: That's because Lindsey was hiding under his desk in the Capitol when Trump was throwing ketchup at the wall on January 6.) (Also linked yesterday.) ~~~

~~~ Jim Tankersley of the New York Times: “European officials have a long list of reasons, spoken and unspoken, for refusing [to help Donald Trump in his war against Iran].... 1. They never wanted this war and don’t want a part of it.... 2. It’s not NATO’s job.... 3. They don’t think it will work … 4. … and if it did, it could prolong the war.” (Also linked yesterday.) ~~~

~~~ Marie: Of course, this is all very confusing because just two days ago we learned from John Bowden of the Independent (amid similar reports) that “Donald Trump is set to announce in the coming days the formation of an international coalition to escort commercial shipping vessels through the Strait of Hormuz as his war with Iran enters its third week. U.S. officials told the Wall Street Journal that the White House’s announcement of the group would come as soon as this week.”

Who Needs Experts? Anna Kramer of NOTUS: "Six months before the Trump administration started bombing Iran, the Department of State fired its oil and gas experts. As the war in Iran stretches into its third week, and the Strait of Hormuz — through which 20% of the world’s oil supply usually flows — remains effectively closed, the U.S. government is without the resources it once had to handle such crises, former State Department employees tell NOTUS. In July 2025, as part of ... Donald Trump’s reduction-in-force initiative, the administration laid off staff who would have been responsible for gaming out possible scenarios if the Strait of Hormuz was closed. The agency also let go of staffers with close professional relationships at oil and gas companies in the Middle East and experts tasked with maintaining diplomatic contacts at foreign energy bureaus.... Trump said [Iran's] strikes [on Gulf oil & gas infrastructure] were unexpected.... Former [State] staffers say previous administrations used to prepare for these exact scenarios.” Via Heather Cox Richardson.

John Hudson of the Washington Post: “Senior Israeli officials have told U.S. diplomats that Iranian protesters will 'get slaughtered' if they take to the streets against their government even as Israel publicly calls for a popular uprising, according to a State Department cable reviewed by The Washington Post. The cable, circulated by the U.S. Embassy in Jerusalem on Friday, relayed an Israeli assessment that Iran’s regime is 'not cracking' and is willing to 'fight to the end.'... Despite the grim forecast, Israeli officials said they hoped for a popular revolt and urged the United States to prepare to support protesters if that happens, according to the cable.... [The message] comes as Iran’s exiled crown prince, Reza Pahlavi, calls for Iranians to take to the streets this week to mark the ancient Persian 'Festival of Fire' known as Chaharshanbe Suri. Narges Bajoghli, an Iran expert at Johns Hopkins University, said that Iranians have long been skeptical of Israeli intentions and that the dual messages on display in the cable will be viewed by many as callous and exploitative of Iranian lives.” ~~~

     ~~~ Marie: Even more than Trump, no doubt because he's so accustomed to "slaughter," Benjamin Netanyahu doesn't care what happens to other people. If there might be some benefit to him, then others should lie down and "get slaughtered." In fact, life has great value. Yet the lives of people like Netanyahu and Trump are not only worthless; they have negative value because these people have maneuvered themselves into positions where they take the valuable, meaningful lives of others. 

Paul Krugman on the petropresidency*: "...  when I look into the larger picture of Trump administration policy..., I keep coming back to the huge influence now being wielded by oil money.... What really stands out is the centrality of oil money from the Persian Gulf, money that has been crucial in two areas: Trump’s international economic schemes and his personal enrichment.... Each of the major Gulf petrostates has pledged to invest [in the U.S.] more than the whole European Union, even though they have far smaller economies. So when Trump boasts about the foreign investment he’s bringing to America, the reality is mostly that Gulf petrostates have said — with dubious credibility — that they will make big investments.... And then there’s Trump’s relentless use of his office to enrich himself and his family.... So the Trump administration’s energy policy can be seen as what Prince bin Salman would do if he were in charge. Is he?... If you want to understand Operation Epic FUBAR, don’t forget to follow the oil money."

David Corn of Mother Jones (March 16): "For a year, the Trump Justice Department has been on an odd mission: to assist a mysterious former FBI informant with ties to Russian intelligence who ended up in prison for passing disinformation about Joe Biden to the bureau. His crime deeply affected American politics. The false claim he slipped to the FBI — that Biden and his son Hunter each were paid a $5 million bribe by a Ukrainian energy company — became the main evidence in the House Republicans’ reckless and ill-fated impeachment drive against the 46th president. For pushing this phony tale, Alexander Smirnov, who pleaded guilty of lying to the FBI, was sentenced a year ago to six years of incarceration. (The punishment also covered failing to pay taxes on more than $2 million in income.).... On March 4, in a move that has drawn no media attention, the [DOJ] quietly filed an unusual brief — submitted by Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche — supporting Smirnov’s attempt to throw out his sentence and withdraw his guilty plea." ~~~

     ~~~ Via Gary Legum of Wonkette, who is a little surprised the Trumpettes would want to associate with someone with Smirnov's record. Still, Legum writes, "Aw, it’s nice that Blanche took time away from helping Ghislaine Maxwell keep covering up for Trump to help Alexander Smirnov keep covering up for Trump." 

Someone Left the War Map on the Train. Zoe Engels of Mediaite: “Now-retired Major General Antonio Aguto allegedly left maps classified as 'SECRET' on a train — and also drunkenly got a concussion prior to a meeting with then-U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken. Aguto, who was in charge of coordinating U.S. assistance for Ukraine from Dec. 2022 to Sept. 2024, reportedly lost track of the maps while traveling across Europe following a visit to Ukraine, according to a report published last week by the Defense Department’s Inspector General.... Aguto also did not follow a July 2022 order issued by then-US Ambassador to Ukraine Bridget Brink that stated only diplomatic couriers could bring classified material into the country.... Aguto was separately found to have engaged in an 'overindulgence in alcohol' in Kyiv.... The report cites evidence that Aguto’s state of intoxication caused him to fall and have a concussion that negatively impacted his performance the next day, May 14, 2024, ahead of a meeting with Blinken. A witness reported a 'very strong smell of alcohol' on Aguto.”

Ellen Nakashima, et al., of the Washington Post: “The intelligence community’s top counterterrorism official said Tuesday he was stepping down over the U.S. and Israeli war on Iran — the first senior official to openly break ranks with the White House over a conflict stretching into its third week. 'After much reflection, I have decided to resign,' Joe Kent, the head of the National Counterterrorism Center, posted on X in a letter to ... Donald Trump. 'I cannot in good conscience support the ongoing war in Iran.' Kent continued: 'Iran posed no imminent threat to our nation, and it is clear that we started this war due to pressure from Israel and its powerful American lobby.'... Kent’s resignation lays bare the schism within the Trump coalition between those who are skeptical of U.S. military interventions overseas and those who believe in the exercise of U.S. military might to advance America’s interests around the world.’’ The New York Times report is here. The AP's report is here. (Also linked yesterday.) ~~~

     ~~~ Ashleigh Fields of the Hill: Donald “Trump and White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt on Tuesday railed against Joe Kent after he resigned from his post as director of the National Counterterrorism Center. 'I read his statement. I always thought he was a nice guy, but I always thought he was weak on security, very weak on security. I didn’t know him well, but I thought he seemed like a pretty nice guy,' Trump told reporters in the Oval Office on Tuesday. He later added that, 'It’s a good thing he’s out, because he said that Iran was not a threat.'” ~~~

     ~~~ Marie: Wait a minute. He's your counterterrorism director and you thought he was "very weak on security"?? IOW, you don't much care if terrorists blow up Americans. It's better to have a "nice guy" around than someone who will competently oversee a program to stop terrorists before they act. And Kent didn't say Iran was not a threat; he said it was not an imminent threat. ~~~

     ~~~ digby: "[Kent] claims that the Israelis misled Trump and that Israel drew the U.S. into the Iraq war which is just Tucker Carlson slop....  (I suspect it’s more about the fact that Kent is a white nationalist which has a strong streak of fascist anti-semitism.) He represents the Tucker Carlson wing of the party, also known as the Tulsi Gabbard wing. (You’d think she would have been the first to go but because she’s is nothing more than a crass opportunist she’s hanging in there working to steal elections for Trump.)"    

Tim Balk of the New York Times: Donald “Trump said on Monday that Gov. Gavin Newsom of California, a Democrat widely seen as a likely presidential contender, should not be president because he has dyslexia. A leading advocacy group for people with learning disabilities criticized the comments. In an appearance at the White House, Mr. Trump said that he was 'all for people with learning disabilities, but not for my president — a president should not have learning disabilities.' He added, referring to Mr. Newsom, 'Everything about him is dumb.'... The National Center for Learning Disabilities said it was disturbed by Mr. Trump’s comments. 'We believe the statement to be both factually and morally incorrect,' the organization said in a statement. 'We are deeply troubled by these negative and stigmatizing remarks.'... About one in five people has dyslexia, according to the Yale Center for Dyslexia & Creativity.” ~~~

     ~~~ Marie: Of course dyslexia doesn't make a person dumb, but the issue Trump does raise a confounding question: what makes Trump so dumb? As if to highlight his own stupidity (and vulgarity), in his disparagement of Newsom, he called the governor “the president of the United States, Gavin Newscum.” Since Trump does not read AND is stupid, his criticism of Newsom is pure projection.

Dan Diamond & Jonathan Edwards of the Washington Post: “A federal judge [-- Richard Leon --] on Tuesday grilled Trump administration lawyers on the legal justification for the president’s $400 million White House ballroom plan, accusing the Justice Department of 'shifting' arguments as historic preservationists urged him to halt the controversial project.... Leon repeatedly questioned the administration’s insistence that the president does not need congressional approval for the project. The White House has countered that Congress set aside several million dollars for alteration and maintenance of the president’s residence — a characterization that Leon said was 'brazen,' given the scope of the planned 90,000-square-foot project. 'I’m struggling to see this as an “alteration,’” Leon said later.... The judge added that Trump was a 'steward' of the White House, not its owner....  Judge ... Leon said he hoped to issue a ruling by the end of March.” 

Reagan Judge Rebukes Trump & Kari Lake. Minho Kim of the New York Times: “A federal judge on Tuesday nullified nearly all actions that the Trump administration took to shutter Voice of America, a federally funded news organization that broadcast to countries with limited press protections, including Iran, China and Russia. Judge Royce C. Lamberth of the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia ordered more than 1,000 full-time journalists and support staff at the news group to return to work by March 23 and to resume broadcasting operations. The judge’s decision excludes contracted employees. Judge Lamberth wrote that Congress passed clear laws funding V.O.A. and directing the administration to maintain news operations “in each significant region of the world” that present 'a variety of opinions and voices.' But the Trump administration, Judge Lamberth said, flagrantly disregarded the rules in seeking to shutter the news service and its parent agency.... Nearly all V.O.A. staff had been on paid leave since March 2025.” Politico's report is here.

Adam Sella of the New York Times: “David Steiner, the postmaster general, said at a hearing in Washington on Tuesday that the U.S. Postal Service would be 'out of cash in less than 12 months' unless Congress allows it to borrow more and charge more for postage. While lawmakers from both parties vowed to resolve the Postal Service’s budgetary bind, they appeared to be at odds with Mr. Steiner about how best to do so.”

Jonathan Cohn of the Bulwark celebrates Judge Brian Murphy of Boston, who put the kibosh -- at least for now -- on RFKJ's anti-vax projects. Although Cohn writes that Trump has applauded Kennedy's attacks on vaccines, he also notes, "In just the last few weeks, the White House has taken a series of steps to get a tighter grip on operations at HHS, and to tamp down on some of the anti-vaccine rhetoric coming from Kennedy and his camp. It’s not clear whether Trump is having second thoughts about his full-throated endorsements of Kennedy. What is clear is that people around the president have gotten nervous that the anti-vaccine agenda is alienating the majority of voters who support vaccination strongly. In short, Team Trump would prefer to change the subject. Murphy’s ruling makes that harder."

Affordability? Not So Much. Rachel Siegel of the Washington Post: “Buying a house without help is practically impossible — even if you’re a top housing official. Benjamin Hobbs, the Department of Housing and Urban Development’s assistant secretary for public and Indian housing, lists a cash fund for a home down payment on his online wedding registry, which is posted on the wedding planning platform Zola.... Of the 87 percent of customers who put some sort of cash fund on their registry, 39 percent of the betrothed ask guests for money toward a new home, according to Zola’s recent surveys.” ~~~

~~~ AND It's Unethical. “A political appointee, Hobbs oversees affordable housing programs for low-income families, seniors, disabled people and Native Americans. People trying to curry favor — lobbyists, politicians — could donate to the housing fund, the experts said. Current and former HUD staffers also noted it can also be hard to vet donations if people donate under a spouse’s name.”  

Alexander Bolton of the Hill: “The Senate voted Tuesday to begin a long and contentious debate over the SAVE America Act, a bill that would require people to show documented proof of citizenship when registering to vote and a photo ID when casting a ballot.... [Donald] Trump has called the measure his No. 1 legislative priority. The Senate voted 51-48 to proceed to the bill, advancing the measure despite the opposition of Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska). Sen. Thom Tillis (R-N.C.), who said last week he would vote against proceeding to the bill, missed the vote.  Sen. Mitch McConnell (Ky.), who has told GOP colleagues that he doesn’t support the bill, voted to begin debate as a courtesy to the Senate Republican leadership.” ~~~

     ~~~The SAVE Act is Jim Crow All Over Again. Jamelle Bouie of the New York Times: “As the president sees it, and as the name would have you believe, the SAVE Act is meant to secure American elections against corruption and malfeasance. 'America’s Elections are Rigged, Stolen, and a Laughingstock all over the World,' Trump wrote on his Truth Social website this month. 'We are either going to fix them, or we won’t have a Country any longer.' But to this president, as we should know by now, a 'rigged' election is one that he lost or did not win to his satisfaction.... The basic premise of Trumpism is that the people of the United States are not the collected citizens of the United States, naturalized and natural born, but a particular caste and class of Americans, defined by race, religion and nationality and united by their devotion to Trump. The SAVE Act is an attempt to make that distinction a political reality by removing as many mere Americans from the voting pool as possible and elevating the true people of the United States — who just so happen to support Trump and the Republican Party — as the only legitimate players in American political life.” The link appears to be a gift link. 

Maegan Vazquez of the Washington Post: “The House Oversight Committee has subpoenaed Attorney General Pam Bondi as part of its probe of the Justice Department’s investigation into deceased sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, ordering her to testify before the panel on April 14.... A Justice Department official, however, quickly dismissed the subpoena as pointless, declining to say whether the attorney general would comply.” A Politico report is here. (Also linked yesterday.) 

Lying in a Missionary Position. Olivia Johnson of the Hill: “A pastor in Missouri was suspended last week after it was discovered she worked for and managed the private island of late-sex offender Jeffrey Epstein for nearly a year. On Thursday, Bishop Robert Farr of the Missouri Conference of The United Methodist Church placed Rev. Stephanie L. Remington on leave, pending a review by the episcopal office. Remington reportedly worked as Epstein’s administrative assistant and temporary property manager of his private island, Little Saint James, from August 2018 to May 2019. Epstein was arrested just two months later, in July 2019, for sex trafficking crimes....” Read on for details.

Josh Gerstein of Politico: “Chief Justice John Roberts defended the Supreme Court Tuesday against a sustained flurry of attacks ... Donald Trump unleashed against the justices in recent days for striking down the core of his politically pivotal tariff policy. 'Personally directed hostility is dangerous and it’s got to stop,' Roberts said during an appearance at Rice University in Houston. Roberts did not mention Trump directly and made an effort to frame intemperate criticism of the judiciary as emerging 'from all over' and 'not just any one political perspective.' But with Trump lashing out at the justices — or at least some of them — every few days since his high court defeat last month, it seemed clear the chief justice sought to counter the president’s public expressions of displeasure. In Trump’s latest salvo Sunday, he appeared to broaden his crusade against the court, faulting them not only for the tariffs ruling but for failing to back him in 2020 when he contended without evidence that he’d been reelected. 'Our Country was unnecessarily RANSACKED by the United States Supreme Court, which has become little more than a weaponized and unjust Political Organization,' Trump wrote in a lengthy rant on Truth Social. 'The sad thing is, they will only get worse!'” Here's the New York Times report. (Also linked yesterday.)

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Illinois Senate Race. Reid Epstein of the New York Times: “Lt. Gov. Juliana Stratton won the Democratic primary race for Senate in Illinois on Tuesday, according to The Associated Press, riding the power of political and financial help from her chief patron, Gov. JB Pritzker, to prevail in a bitter three-way contest. Ms. Stratton defeated two veteran members of Congress, Representatives Raja Krishnamoorthi and Robin Kelly, in a race marked by efforts from Mr. Krishnamoorthi’s allies and Mr. Pritzker’s detractors to split Black voters and hand the nomination to Mr. Krishnamoorthi.... In the general election, Ms. Stratton will face Don Tracy, a former chairman of the Illinois Republican Party. Mr. Tracy is unlikely to provide more than token opposition, given the state’s Democratic tilt and Mr. Trump’s deep unpopularity there.” An NBC News story is here. ~~~

Illinois Congressional Races. Julie Bosman of the New York Times: “Daniel Biss, the mayor of Evanston, Ill., won the Democratic nomination for a congressional district that includes northern suburbs of Chicago, The Associated Press said on Tuesday, emerging from a turbulent and crowded contest that focused heavily on disagreements over Israel. Mr. Biss, a former state senator who has been Evanston’s mayor since 2021, was an early front-runner in the race in the Ninth District to replace Representative Jan Schakowsky, a Democrat who is retiring after nearly three decades in office. Mr. Biss faced competition from more than a dozen contenders.... He is favored to win the general election in November against the Republican nominee.” ~~~

     ~~~ Tim Balk of the New York Times: “Melissa Bean, a centrist Democrat and former three-term congresswoman, won the Democratic House primary for a Chicago-area seat on Tuesday, according to The Associated Press, prevailing in a race that became a test of views on Israel. In the final days of the campaign, Ms. Bean received a rush of financial support from a group tied to the American Israel Public Affairs Committee, the hard-line pro-Israel lobbying organization, as she fended off a progressive rival, the tech entrepreneur Junaid Ahmed.... The race drew attention from national figures and interest groups.”

Texas Senate Race. Lauren McGaughy of the New York Times: Donald “Trump let a key filing deadline pass on Tuesday without endorsing a candidate in Texas’ Senate race, locking in a high-stakes Republican runoff between the incumbent, John Cornyn, and the state’s attorney general, Ken Paxton. Mr. Trump could still offer an endorsement at any time, but his decision not to before the deadline for candidates to formally drop out of the race means both Mr. Cornyn and Mr. Paxton will be on the next ballot even if one of them withdraws at a later date. It also means both will continue to duke it out in what has already been a highly personal, historically expensive Senate race.” A Texas Tribune story is here.