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Rep. Thomas Massie of Kentucky yesterday lost the Republican House primary by nearly 10 percentage points. Trump-backed challenger Ed Gallrein secured the victory over Massie, who is the latest Republican lawmaker to lose his seat after angering the president. This became the most expensive House primary in history, with $33 million spent on TV ads, much of it directed at Massie, according to NPR's ad-tracking partner AdImpact. Meanwhile, in other states like Georgia, Democrats continued to show strong enthusiasm. Larger voter turnout could be a good sign for the party ahead of the November midterm elections. Here are four takeaways from last night's primaries.
An attendee wears party colors at a primary election night party for Georgia gubernatorial candidate Rick Jackson on Tuesday in Atlanta. Brynn Anderson/AP hide caption
Yesterday, Trump said he was an hour away from deciding to launch new strikes against Iran before he called them off. He said he delayed them because "serious negotiations" were happening, and said he would give Iran two or three days — or maybe a week — to reach a deal. Vice President Vance later presented a slightly different perspective, indicating that Iran has two options: Continue negotiations or face a restart of the military campaign.
San Diego authorities have released more details about the victims and suspects in the California mosque attack that killed five people, including the two suspected gunmen. Police Chief Scott Wahl says the three victims died while attempting to stop the gunmen. Imam Taha Hassane of the Islamic Center of San Diego identified them as Mansour Kaziha, 78, Nader Awad, 57, and Amin Abdullah, 51. Police say Abdullah, a security guard, saved the lives of 140 children during the shooting. Officials said the two teen suspects met online, and a special agent in charge of the FBI field office said they "did not discriminate on who they hated."
Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz has signed the nation's first law banning prediction market sites from operating in the state. The Trump administration has initiated a lawsuit in response, preparing for a legal battle over the crackdown on popular platforms such as Kalshi and Polymarket. This new state law makes it illegal to host or advertise prediction markets, which it defines as systems that allow consumers to wager on future outcomes, including sports events, elections, live entertainment and global affairs. The prohibition would force prediction market platforms to exit the state or face potential felony charges. The law will take effect in August.
Denver's climate office is planning to heat and cool a cluster of downtown buildings with water, the heat of Earth and even heat from....sewage. AAron Ontiveroz/Denver Post via Getty Images hide caption
NPR is dedicating a week to stories and conversations about how communities are moving forward on climate solutions despite significant political headwinds. As the federal government halts plans to address climate change, states, cities, regions, and even neighborhoods are trying to fill the gap by cutting climate pollution and adapting to extreme weather.
Denver's largest source of climate pollution comes from powering, heating and cooling the city's skyscrapers. The world's oldest continuously operating commercial steam system heats the city's more than 100 downtown buildings. It requires burning natural gas, a fossil fuel. Now, Denver is trying a greener solution: a thermal energy network. The plan involves heating and cooling a cluster of large downtown buildings with water, Earth's heat and even sewage. Over the next decade, the city plans to repurpose parts of its old system to create an "ambient loop" that circulates water through underground pipes between 11 city-owned buildings. Similar networks already exist in campuses and cities around the world. If successful in Denver, the city could set a nationwide example for decarbonizing dense downtown areas.
CEO of Cambria Marty Davis speaks on the job site of the countertop company's new $80 million quartz processing plant and rail center in Randolph, Minn., on August 13, 2025. (Photo by The Minnesota Star Tribune via Getty Images) Richard Tsong-Taatarii/Star Tribune via Getty Images/The Minnesota Star Tribune via Getty Images hide caption
A kitchen countertop mogul and Trump donor is using tariffs to hurt his competitors in the quartz industry. His competitors say it is a textbook case of political favoritism. Cambria CEO Marty Davis has repeatedly asked the U.S. government to impose more tariffs on quartz. Davis' $500 million company manufactures the quartz used for kitchen and bathroom countertops. The increased taxes are raising costs for his rivals and other businesses that rely on imported materials, forcing them to pass higher prices on to homeowners and consumers. They argue that Davis is harming jobs, particularly at small businesses, and unfairly increasing prices for middle-class homeowners. Here's a look at Cambria's history of petitioning for tariffs:
This newsletter was edited by Suzanne Nuyen.
Source: NPR - Politics
