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U.S. Supreme Court lets Voting Rights Act ruling take effect ahead of schedule

2026-05-04T23:11:52.804Z / Reuters

By John Kruzel

May 4, 2026 11:11 PM UTC Updated 39 mins ago

People walk across the plaza of the U.S. Supreme Court building on the first day of the court’s new term in Washington, U.S. October 3, 2022. REUTERS/Jonathan Ernst Purchase Licensing Rights, opens new tab

WASHINGTON, May 4 (Reuters) – The U.S. Supreme Court on Monday allowed its recent ruling that gutted a key part of the Voting Rights Act ​to take effect ahead of schedule, bolstering Louisiana Republicans as ‌they pursue a new congressional voting map ahead of the November midterm elections.

The action by the justices, though procedural, potentially could undercut challenges to the decision ​by Louisiana Republicans to delay the state’s congressional primary elections and ​seek a new electoral map that could be beneficial ⁠to Republicans.

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The court’s move came in response to a request from ​a group of Louisiana voters who described themselves in court papers as “non-African ​American” whose lawsuit led to the 6-3 ruling on April 29 striking down an electoral map that had given Louisiana a second Black-majority U.S. congressional district. The ​ruling gutted a key provision of the Voting Rights Act that ​had barred electoral maps that would result in diluting the clout of minority voters.

President Donald ‌Trump’s ⁠fellow Republicans are fighting to maintain their control of the House, as well as the Senate, in the November elections.

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To give the losing side of a decision the chance to ask for a rehearing, the ​Supreme Court typically ​waits 32 days ⁠before its formal judgment is issued. But the prevailing party can ask the court to issue its ​judgment more quickly, as the “non-African American” voters did here.

Governor ​Jeff Landry ⁠responded to the court’s ruling by declaring an emergency and announcing he would postpone his state’s congressional primary elections that had been scheduled for ⁠May ​16.

Landry’s move prompted lawsuits. Some challengers have ​argued, among other things, that the governor exceeded his authority to declare an emergency because ​the Supreme Court’s ruling had not yet taken effect.

Reporting by John Kruzel

Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Top Trump fundraiser enlisted in new nonprofit for president’s sculpture garden and golf course as legal challenges abound

2026-05-04 6:52 PM ET / CNN

By Sunlen Serfaty

A rendering of a reimagined East Potomac Golf Course.

National Garden of American Heroes Foundation

One of President Donald Trump’s top fundraising lieutenants has been enlisted to solicit money for his personal endeavor to develop a new golf course and sculpture garden on a prime piece of land along the Potomac River in Washington, DC.

Meredith O’Rourke, a longtime GOP fundraiser whom Trump has dispatched for many of his high-profile personal pursuits in his quest to put his stamp on the capital city’s landscape and culture, was the president’s national finance director during the 2024 election.

Since Trump took office, she has overseen donations for his ambitious East Wing ballroom project and played behind-the-scenes roles in raising money for the Kennedy Center and Freedom 250, the nonprofit the administration set up to run federal programming for the nation’s birthday celebrations.

Now O’Rourke is working with a new nonprofit, the National Garden of American Heroes Foundation, to solicit funds for Trump’s planned revamp of a historic public golf course in East Potomac Park and the nearby West Potomac Park, which the administration has homed in on for the sculpture garden.

Her role was revealed in a fundraising document included as part of an emergency court filing to the DC District Court on Sunday. The foundation is still awaiting approval for its tax-exempt status, the brochure said.

The involvement of O’Rourke and the coupling of the golf course and sculpture garden projects in fundraising efforts highlights the priority Trump appears to be placing on the projects.

O’Rourke declined to comment and referred CNN to the White House.

White House spokesperson Davis Ingle said: “President Trump’s National Garden of American Heroes will be built to reflect the awesome splendor of our country’s timeless exceptionalism. President Trump continues to beautify and honor our Nation’s Capital during America’s historic semiquincentennial celebration.”

The Trump administration had already allocated millions for the garden — $34 million through funds from the National Endowment for the Humanities and $40 million from the president’s massive policy bill. But the new foundation will solicit private donations as plans for the sculpture garden have expanded and the administration takes over the lease of the public golf course on the site Trump wants to redevelop, according to the fundraising brochure.

According to the latest plans, included in the emergency court filing Sunday and confirmed to CNN, the National Garden of American Heroes, which Trump had envisioned with 250 statues to celebrate America’s 250 years, now includes additional elements such as an amphitheater and numerous fountains.

The lead designer of the garden is Michael Curtis, a co-founder of the National Civic Art Society, along with a team composed of urban planner Dhiru Thadani, architect Michael Franck, architect CJ Howard and sculptor Brian Kramer.

This rendering shows the proposed National Garden of American Heroes.

National Garden of American Heroes Foundation

However, CNN has previously reported that sources close to the project say it is unlikely that any sculptures will be delivered by July 4, the deadline. Plans for the garden have not been submitted to the Commission of Fine Arts or the National Capital Planning Commission — two government agencies whose approval is needed before it can be built. Foundries and artists from across the country who applied to work on the sculptures, which would take months to build, haven’t heard from the Trump administration.

The creation of another fundraising entity to collect money for the president’s Washington projects comes as judges are hearing lawsuits challenging the pursuits over their lack of transparency and disregard for legal processes.

At a DC District Court hearing Monday over the emergency filing, a preservation organization suing the administration over its plans to take over the golf course cited the fundraising brochure from the new foundation as evidence the government is moving forward without regard for environmental laws.

Judge Ana Reyes indicated she wanted confirmation that the fundraising message was real. She said the Justice Department should start gathering internal communications that would explain where it came from and who was involved.

Reyes said that such a fundraising pledge would not have been sent on a “whim” and that she suspected someone with knowledge about the plans for the East Potomac golf course would have been in communication the fundraiser.

“Something is happening, Mr. Robertson. I don’t know what it is, I trust you don’t know what it is,” Reyes said, addressing the DOJ’s lawyer while airing her suspicions that there was communication from the White House or the agency that prompted the fundraising pledge.

“When you have a pledge going out with pictures asking people for money, we are pretty far down the road.”

The hearing also underscored concerns that the administration will bulldoze first and ask questions later.

Reyes made clear that she didn’t want the plaintiffs or the court to be caught off guard by major changes to the grounds while the case is pending.

“Act first and ask for forgiveness later … that’s not going to be acceptable,” she said.

Trump previously appointed O’Rourke to serve on the board of the National Park Foundation, which is the congressionally authorized fundraising arm of the National Park Service and of which Freedom 250 is a subsidiary.

Senate Democrats have attempted to scrutinize her fundraising activities for Trump several times. In a letter late last year, Senate Democrats asked that she provide details on her role in the ballroom project. Earlier this year, several senators wrote to the White House demanding to know more about her role in “facilitating” collecting funds for both the White House ballroom project and Freedom 250.

CNN’s Piper Hudspeth-Blackburn, Tierney Sneed and Katelyn Polantz contributed to this report.

Warren pushed ‘free and easy’ IRS filing system, but docs reveal what she used instead

May 4, 2026 6:30pm EDT / Fox News

Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., didn’t use the free government tax-filing system she had spent years promoting when it became available in her state, records show.

As far back as 2016, Warren pushed for a free IRS online tax preparation and filing service, a precursor to what became Direct File. The senator touted it as a way for taxpayers to save time and money. When Direct File launched a pilot program serving Massachusetts for the 2024 tax-filing season, however, Warren’s publicly released tax return indicated that she opted to use a private accountant instead.

Warren was ineligible to use Direct File during the 2024 tax-filing season because she chose not to take the standard deduction that year. The standard deduction under the program is a restriction critics say illustrates why the program was too limited to serve many taxpayers.

“The Direct File pilot program has been a huge win for taxpayers,” Warren said in April 2024. “This year, thousands of taxpayers saved hours of their time and the $150 typically spent on TurboTax and other junk filing fees — money that could be spent on groceries or rent … I’m excited to continue to work with the IRS and the Treasury Department to permanently extend and expand this free and easy tax filing solution for Americans.”

HAWLEY, WARREN TEAM UP TO BACK TRUMP, CRACK DOWN ON DEFENSE CONTRACTOR PAYOUTS

“In just the space of minutes, it looks like insiders have been making out like bandits, using secret information about the war,” Warren said.(Heather Diehl/Getty Images)

Warren has characterized herself as one of the top legislative architects of the Direct File system.

“For years, Senator Warren has been the Direct File program’s biggest champion — yet her own tax returns show she hired a private accountant,” David Williams, president of the Taxpayer Protection Alliance (TPA), a right-of-center fiscal advocacy group, told Fox News Digital.

“Direct File was ill-equipped to handle investment, property and interest income — limiting the tax credits and deductions Americans deserve. At its core, the government would not have any incentive — as the tax preparer, collector, and auditor — to maximize those deductions,” he added.

The Trump administration moved to suspend Direct File in 2025, and the IRS later told states the program would not be available for the 2026 filing season.

Even after her own return showed she used a private accountant and not Direct File for the 2024 tax-filing season, Warren continued to push for the system. On April 15, Tax Day 2026, Warren took a recently-introduced bill to the Senate floor seeking to revive the program.

“Filing your taxes should be easy and free … Let’s save people time and money, and show the American people that government can work for them,” Warren said.

SEN WARREN UNLOADS ON TRUMP’S FED NOMINEE KEVIN WARSH IN EXPLOSIVE HEARING SHOWDOWN

Ranking member Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., questions Kevin Warsh, nominee to chairman of the Federal Reserve, during his Senate Banking, Housing and Urban Affairs Committee confirmation hearing on Tuesday, April 21, 2026.(Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images)

Usage of the Direct File was low during the 2024 tax-filing season, with only 161,042 of the estimated 19 million eligible Americans submitting returns through it, according to an IRS report.

Among those who did use the service, however, 90% rated their experience as “excellent” or “above average,” according to the IRS. Large majorities of respondents reported that Direct File was easy to use and had high quality customer service support.

The TPA, however, says that 25% of Direct File users rated their experiences negatively, citing its analysis of user responses obtained via a Freedom of Information Act request.

THE SIMPLE TAX HABIT THAT COULD SAVE YOU THOUSANDS OVER YOUR LIFETIME

Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., speaks as Health and Human Services Secretary Robert Kennedy Jr. appears before a Senate Finance Committee hearing in Washington, D.C., on Sept. 4, 2025.(Andrew Harnik/Getty Images)

Critics of Direct File, such as conservative economist Stephen Moore, have argued that allowing the IRS, which has an incentive to maximize tax revenue, to prepare taxes for Americans creates a conflict of interest and that the program isn’t truly free, given its administrative costs. Proponents like the left-of-center advocacy group Public Citizen, meanwhile, argue that eliminating filing costs could save taxpayers billions of dollars per year at a relatively minor public expense.

Firms such as Intuit and H&R Block lobbied aggressively to kill Direct File, which many believed would cut into their profits.

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Warren’s office did not respond to multiple requests for comment sent Monday.

1 missing U.S. soldier jumped into water to try to save another, search continues in Morocco, officials say

2026-05-04T18:18:00-0400 / CBS News

By Duarte Dias, Duarte Dias Digital Journalist
Duarte Pita Dias is based in CBS News’ London bureau, where he works across digital platforms and for TV broadcasts. Read Full Bio
Duarte Dias, Chris Livesay
Chris Livesay Correspondent, Rome
Chris Livesay is a CBS News foreign correspondent based in Rome. Read Full Bio
Chris Livesay
Updated on: May 4, 2026 / 6:29 PM EDT / CBS News

One of the two American service members missing in Morocco jumped into the water to try to save the other missing soldier, defense officials told CBS News on Monday.

Search and rescue efforts were still underway as of Monday after the two U.S. Army soldiers went missing in the waters of the Atlantic Ocean off Morocco’s southern coast over the weekend. The soldiers were part of an annual training exercise known as African Lion, although the incident is not believed to be related to the exercise.

According to a preliminary report, a group of service members was on a hike to watch the sunset when a soldier fell into the water. A defense official previously told CBS News the soldiers were last seen near ocean cliffs near the Cap Draa Training Area.

When the first soldier fell into the water, the nearby service members attempted a rescue by forming a human chain with their belts, but were unsuccessful, the officials said. Another soldier then jumped in to save the service member, who was known not to be able to swim, but the would-be rescuer was immediately hit by a wave, the report indicates.

Both soldiers were having trouble getting back to shore, so a third jumped in. That third soldier wasn’t able to save the other two but was able to make it back safely on their own, the officials said.

Multiple aircraft, drones, divers and vessels have been searching along Morocco’s southern coast for the last three days for the two missing U.S. soldiers.

The Cap Draa Training Area in Morocco. CBS News

African Lion is the largest annual joint military exercise led by AFRICOM, one of the U.S. Department of Defense’s 11 unified combatant commands. It brings together thousands of troops from the United States, African partner nations and NATO allies to train for modern warfare across land, air, sea, cyber and space domains.

The soldiers were stationed at a base along with more than 7,000 service members from over 30 countries for the annual exercises.

Eleanor Watson contributed to this report.

https://www.cbsnews.com/video/details-on-hiking-trip-before-disappearance-of-2-us-soldiers-in-morocco/

伊外长：美国应避免被“不怀好意者”再次拖入冲突泥潭

2026年5月5日 07:37 / 联合早报

伊外长：美国应避免被“不怀好意者”再次拖入冲突泥潭

阿拉格齐5月5日称，当前霍尔木兹海峡的局势表明，政治危机无法通过军事手段解决。 （路透社）

伊朗外交部长阿拉格齐说，当对话在巴基斯坦推动下正在取得进展时，美国应保持警惕，避免再次被“不怀好意者”拖入冲突泥潭，阿联酋也应如此。

阿拉格齐星期二（5月5日）在社媒X平台发文称，当前霍尔木兹海峡的局势表明，政治危机无法通过军事手段解决。美方在霍尔木兹海峡推进的所谓“自由计划”（Project Freedom）将变成“死结计划”（Project Deadlock）。

阿拉伯联合酋长国3日称，阿方防空系统拦截了12枚弹道导弹、三枚巡航导弹及四架从伊朗发射的无人机。

阿联酋指责伊朗发动的无人机袭击导致富查伊拉石油工业区（阿联酋最大石油储存区）发生火灾，造成三名印度公民受伤。这是自4月初美伊达成停火协议以来，伊朗首次发动此类袭击。

美国总统特朗普3日在Truth Social宣布，美国将于中东当地时间4日上午在霍尔木兹海峡开始疏导行动，“引导”被困船只驶离海峡。

特朗普将这项名为“自由计划”的疏导行动定性为“人道主义行动”。美军4日说，作为疏导行动的第一步，两艘悬挂美国国旗的商船已成功通过霍尔木兹海峡，美军击沉六艘试图阻挠商船航行的伊朗小型船只。

Supreme Court temporarily blocks appeals court ruling on abortion pill, restores wider access to drug

2026-05-04T13:40:56-04:00 / Fox News

Supreme Court blocks mifepristone restrictions, restores mail access

Abortion critic: ‘Pill pushers receive every benefit of the doubt, including today’

By Eric Mack, Fox News

Published May 4, 2026 1:40pm EDT

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The Supreme Court on Monday temporarily blocked a federal appeals court ruling that would have sharply restricted access to the abortion pill, restoring, for now, the ability of patients to obtain the drug through telehealth, mail and pharmacies.

The order signed by Justice Samuel Alito temporarily allows women seeking abortions to obtain the pill without an in-person visit to a doctor, a temporary legal victory for abortion activists.

A federal appeals court had imposed new restrictions on the abortion pill last week.

“It is good to see SCOTUS issue this stay to immediately restore access by mail to mifepristone,” Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., said, responding to the ruling on X. “But this fight is just beginning.”

FEDERAL APPEALS COURT BLOCKS MAILING OF ABORTION PILLS IN RULING WITH NATIONWIDE EFFECT

A packet of Misoprostol abortion pills is shown in a close-up image.(Sergei Gapon/AFP via Getty Images)

“We will stop at nothing to prevent the Republicans from putting a national abortion ban into effect,” he added.

The majority of abortions in the United States are obtained through medications, usually a combination of mifepristone and a second drug, misoprostol. The availability of those drugs has blunted the impact of abortion bans that many Republican-led states have sought to enforce since a 2022 Supreme Court ruling that overturned Roe v. Wade.

Louisiana sued to restrict access to mifepristone, asserting that its availability undermined the ban there.

NEW YORK GOV. HOCHUL SIGNS LAW PROTECTING ABORTION PILL PRESCRIBERS AFTER DOCTOR INDICTED IN LOUISIANA

Anti-abortion demonstrators march to the Supreme Court for the 52nd annual March for Life in Washington, D.C., on Jan. 24, 2025.(Bryan Dozier/Middle East Images/AFP via Getty Images)

The administrative stay remains in effect until at least May 11 at 5 p.m., giving the state time to respond to requests for a longer pause, and for the high court to take up the case on the merits.

“This ruling is not final — keep watching,”Center for Reproductive Rights President and CEO Nancy Northup wrote in a statement.”Getting abortion pills through telehealth has been a lifeline for women since Roe v. Wade was overturned. There is no reason people shouldn’t be able to get mifepristone at a pharmacy or through the mail.

“Louisiana’s attempt to restrict access is political and not based in science or medicine. Americans deserve access to this critical drug that has been FDA approved for 25 years.”

EXPERTS SOUND THE ALARM OVER ‘SHOCKING’ STUDY SHOWING SIGNIFICANT RISKS TO WOMEN WHO TAKE ABORTION PILLS

Boxes of Mifepristone, the first medication used in a medical abortion, are prepared for patients at Alamo Women’s Clinic in Carbondale, Ill., on April 20, 2023.(Evelyn Hockstein/Reuters)

Manufacturers of mifepristone filed emergency appeals asking the Supreme Court to step in.

Kristan Hawkins, president of the anti-abortion group Students for Life, decried Monday’s decision.

“Pill pushers receive every benefit of the doubt, including today, as Justice Alito allows pill traffickers and big pharma to operate temporarily while arguments are sent to the Court,” she said in a statement.

UNIVERSITY OF OREGON TO OFFER ABORTION PILLS ON CAMPUS THIS FALL AFTER STUDENT PRESSURE CAMPAIGN

After Friday’s ruling from the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals, some groups that prescribe abortion pills by telehealth had planned to switch to misoprostol-only regimens.

Dr. Angel Foster, founder of The Massachusetts Abortion Access Project, said her organization was preparing to send misoprostol only on Monday afternoon but was able to switch back.

“Regardless of what happens with this regulatory issue, we and other groups will continue to provide high-quality abortion care to patients in all 50 states,” she said.

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The appeals court decision would have required the Food and Drug Administration to reimpose tighter limits on mifepristone access while litigation continues.

Fox News’ Bill Mears, Shannon Bream and The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Eric Mack is a writer for Fox News Digital covering breaking news.

Williams says Fed policy well positioned for economic risks, uncertainty

2026-05-04T16:52:03.684Z / Reuters

By Michael S. Derby

May 4, 2026 4:52 PM UTC Updated 42 mins ago

节点运行失败

John C. Williams, President and CEO of the Federal Reserve Bank of New York, speaks to the Economic Club of New York in New York City, U.S., September 4, 2025. REUTERS/Kylie Cooper/File Photo

• Williams says risks to both sides of Fed’s mandate have increased
• New York Fed chief says US inflation will be around 3% this year
• Energy markets priced for benign price outlook, he warns
• Williams says not weighing need for interest rate hikes

NEW YORK, May 4 (Reuters) – New York Federal Reserve ​President John Williams said on Monday U.S. monetary policy is “well positioned” to deal with a high level of economic uncertainty generated by the war ‌in the Middle East, as he expressed expectations that once the current inflation surge has abated, the central bank can again turn its attention to lower rates.

“The future is difficult to see, and the risks to both sides of our mandate have increased,” Williams said in a speech before a gathering held by the Cynosure Group in New York City. “The extent and duration of the effects ​of supply disruptions and higher energy prices that are emanating from the Middle East conflict are key factors that will shape the global economic outlook,” ​he said.

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Williams noted that high inflation, mixed job market signals and uncertainty about the war present “an unusual set of circumstances” for ⁠Fed policymakers.

Williams told reporters after his remarks that when it comes to the future of monetary policy, “I don’t feel, with all the uncertainty today, that we are in ​position to provide strong guidance about where interest rates are likely to be in the next several meetings.” But he also said “I don’t see anything in the data today” ​that suggests the need for a rate hike “in the near term.”

He said he expected resilient economic growth of between 2% and 2.25% this year amid mostly stable job market conditions, with unemployment holding at a level between 4.25% and 4.50%.

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But inflation, challenged by tariffs and energy costs, will likely stay at around 3% this year before moving back to the Fed’s 2% target, Williams said. ​He added that inflation expectations are also mostly steady while warning that energy price rises could be worse than expected.

“Market expectations of the future path of oil prices ​are fairly benign, but several plausible scenarios entail more severe dislocations in both prices and quantities,” Williams said. He added that the Iran war “could result in a larger and broader-based supply ‌shock that ⁠has more severe adverse consequences for inflation and economic activity.”

UNCERTAIN OUTLOOK

Williams’ remarks were his first public comments since the U.S. central bank last week decided to leave interest rates unchanged. Fed policymakers continue to be in a wait-and-see mode with monetary policy as they face considerable uncertainty about the economic outlook due to the war.

That conflict, particularly the closure of the vital Strait of Hormuz waterway, has driven up energy prices sharply. Fed officials are facing an outlook of rising inflation pressures coupled with the prospect that the ​energy price surge will also depress demand ​and create risks for the job ⁠market.

Three regional Fed bank presidents supported the central bank’s rate decision last week while objecting to the continued inclusion of language in the monetary policy statement that suggests the next move will be a cut in borrowing costs.

Those three officials – the presidents of the ​Cleveland, Dallas and Minneapolis Fed banks – argued in the wake of the Fed meeting that both monetary easing and tightening ​were possible.

Williams said in ⁠his remarks that it is natural to see more disagreement between policymakers in times of uncertainty and change. But he added that even with all of the opposing votes last week against the Fed retaining an easing bias, “I would say there was far more agreement about where policy is today” than that vote indicates.

Williams told reporters he completely supported the Fed’s policy ⁠language and ​noted the statement’s outlook for interest rates is about “the broader kind of contour of where interest rates ​are today relative to where I expect.” The Fed “will need to cut rates at some point in the future” as price pressures move back to target, he said.

In other comments, Williams declined to address a ​question about whether or not the central bank would expand its currency swap lines beyond the current counterparties.

Reporting by Michael S. Derby; Editing by Paul Simao and Daniel Wallis

Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

House Democrats’ campaign arm takes sides in contentious primaries key to winning midterms

2026-05-04T19:13:37.253Z / CNN

By Patrick Svitek

17 min ago

PUBLISHED May 4, 2026, 3:13 PM ET

The dome of the US Capitol is visible in the early morning hours of April 2.

Andrew Harnik/Getty Images/File

The House Democratic campaign arm on Monday inflamed ongoing tensions over the influence of party leadership by taking sides in several competitive primaries for battleground House seats.

The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee waded in by announcing its latest round of “Red to Blue” candidates, a designation that is tantamount to an endorsement.

While Democrats are in a strong position to capture the House majority in November, the batch of endorsements shows that the DCCC is not willing to take chances on who the party nominates in some of the most competitive districts.

But Democrats are already squabbling over the involvement of party leaders, a debate that reached a climax last week when Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer’s preferred candidate in Maine, Gov. Janet Mills, suspended her campaign. Mills made way for veteran and oyster farmer Graham Platner, a progressive favorite, despite leadership concerns about his history of inflammatory online posts and a tattoo linked to Nazi imagery that he has had covered up.

“Somehow, Washington DC still hasn’t realized that in Maine we make our own decisions about who represents us,” said Jordan Wood, whose primary opponent, state Sen. Joe Baldacci, won the DCCC’s backing for an open seat in Maine’s 2nd District. Wood added that the primary will be decided by Maine residents and not a “broken and corrupt political establishment.”

In California’s 22nd Congressional District, where Republican Rep. David Valadao is seeking reelection, the DCCC backed moderate state Assemblymember Jasmeet Bains over Randy Villegas, a political newcomer. Villegas has raised more money than Bains and earned endorsements from Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) and other high-profile progressives.

“It is undemocratic to see DC elites putting their thumb on the scale in this race,” Villegas said in a statement.

The DCCC’s decision to get involved in California’s 22nd District proved especially controversial Monday. Villegas has emerged as a favorite of national progressive groups, and one of them, the Working Families Party, said in a statement that Democratic leaders had “hit the panic button” by signaling support for Bains.

In another notable intervention, the DCCC boosted former TV journalist Marlene Galán-Woods in Arizona’s 1st Congressional District, where there is an open seat. Her opponents include Amish Shah, a doctor who beat her in the 2024 primary for the seat and went on to lose the general election by 4 percentage points.

Asked about the criticism, a DCCC spokesperson pointed to an earlier statement from its chairwoman, Rep. Suzan DelBene of Washington state.

“These candidates will win because they are authentic, independent-minded leaders who are rooted in their communities, demonstrating they have what it takes to win and fight to make life more affordable for hardworking families,” DelBene said.

Republicans reveled in the fresh drama among Democrats.

“Their disastrous primaries have turned into a far-left free-for-all, and national Democrats stepping in will only deepen the chaos and alienate their far-left base,” Mike Marinella, a spokesman for the National Republican Congressional Committee, said in a statement.

WATCH: Walz deputy lambasts Laken Riley Act in bid to keep Minnesota Senate seat blue

May 4, 2026 2:05pm EDT / Fox News

Flanagan is trailing Rep Angie Craig in the latest polling for the Democratic senatorial primary in Minnesota

By Charles Creitz

Walz deputy slams Laken Riley Act

Minnesota Lt. Gov. Peggy Flanagan assailed the Laken Riley Act during a Stop Oligarchy Tour rally headlined by Sen. Bernie Sanders of Vermont.

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Minnesota Lt. Gov. Peggy Flanagan, second-in-command to Gov. Tim Walz in Minnesota, flamed the Laken Riley Act before a cheering crowd at a “Stop Oligarchy” rally headlined by socialist Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., over the weekend.

Flanagan, who is trailing behind Rep. Angie Craig in the latest RealClearPolitics polling average for the Democratic senatorial primary, is seeking to succeed retiring Sen. Tina Smith, who also reportedly endorsed her at the Rochester rally.

Flanagan name-dropped Alex Pretti and Renee Good, two anti-ICE activists shot and killed in law enforcement-involved shootings earlier this year, as the Land of 10,000 Lakes descended into anti-immigration enforcement chaos.

“We’ve got to zoom out for a second and we have to talk about how we got here, because this also wasn’t an accident. Donald Trump ran on an agenda where we knew that ICE would be more powerful,” Flanagan said.

WALZ DEPUTY ERUPTS AT ICE AND FELLOW DEM, TORCHES LAKEN RILEY ACT IN FIERY TWEETSTORM AS SCANDALS PILE UP

https://www.foxnews.com/video/6388289984112

“This didn’t just sneak up on us. It wasn’t in the fine print. There were literally gigantic signs that said, mass deportees now. It was not a secret. And the very first vote in the second Trump administration that he brought forward was for the Laken Riley Act.”

Flanagan slammed the law, sponsored by Sen. Katie Britt, R-Ala., as a vessel to strip due process from immigrants and allow for indefinite detention of adults and children.

“It was the green light to give ICE unprecedented power to totally terrorize our communities,” Flanagan went on.

TIM WALZ COMPARES MINNESOTA ICE ACTIONS TO HOLOCAUST AND ANNE FRANK: ‘HIDING IN THEIR HOUSES’

She added that she sees a “straight line” from the Laken Riley Act vote in Congress to unrest in communities like Minneapolis; praising Smith and Sen. Amy Klobuchar, D-Minn., for voting against it.

She criticized Craig for being the only Minnesota Democrat in either chamber to vote for the Laken Riley Act, while Craig said just last week that she now regrets her vote for the law.

Lt. Gov. Peggy Flanagan speaks during a press conference in St. Paul, Minn., on June 25, 2022, joined by Sen. Amy Klobuchar, Sen. Tina Smith, Gov. Tim Walz, and Planned Parenthood North Central States CEO Sarah Stoesz following the Supreme Court’s overturning of Roe v. Wade.(Photo by Aaron Lavinsky/Star Tribune via Getty Images)

Writing in the Minnesota Star Tribune, Craig said she cast her vote at a time she felt her constituents — in the suburbs of Minneapolis and Mankato — largely agreed the Biden administration had “fumbled the immigration issue.”

DEMOCRAT IN KEY SENATE PRIMARY SAYS SHE ‘REGRETS’ VOTE ON LAKEN RILEY ACT, DRAWS GOP BACKLASH

But, Craig added that she believes Trump is going beyond the scope of law to carry out “sweeping immigration raids that have terrorized Minnesotans” and therefore regrets her vote.

At the “Stop Oligarchy” rally, Sanders and Flanagan were joined by Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison, another key figure in the Minneapolis unrest.

The winner of the Flanagan-Craig bout will face the Republican nominee, as the GOP primary features former Houston Rockets forward Royce White and former NBC Sunday Night Football reporter Michele Tafoya.

Lt. Gov. Peggy Flanagan speaks at the United Center on the first day of the Democratic National Convention in Chicago, Ill., on Aug. 19, 2024.(Mike Segar/Reuters)

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While Walz chose Flanagan as his running mate, several outlets including the Minnesota Reformer have reported on an alleged rift between the two stemming back to the aftermath of the governor’s failed vice presidential bid — which that outlet noted prevented Flanagan from rising to the governorship through the line of succession.

Fox News Digital reached out to Flanagan for additional comment and to Walz for any response to his deputy’s remarks.

Charles Creitz is a reporter for Fox News Digital.

He joined Fox News in 2013 as a writer and production assistant.

Charles covers media, politics and culture for Fox News Digital.

Charles is a Pennsylvania native and graduated from Temple University with a B.A. in Broadcast Journalism. Story tips can be sent to charles.creitz@fox.com.

What the battle for Congress looks like six months before Election Day | CNN Politics

2026-05-04T17:32:34.750Z / CNN

What the battle for Congress looks like six months before Election Day

By Dana Bash, CNN

Published 1:32 PM EDT, Mon May 4, 2026

What the battle for Congress looks like six months before Election Day

Inside Politics

CNN’s Dana Bash and the “Inside Politics” panel analyze the political landscape with six months until the midterm elections. Manu Raju tells Bash about Republicans, “There is a big fear about Trump sinking their chances… The one thing that they are hopeful of is all this fight over redistricting” will limit the number of competitive races.

6:28 • Source: CNN

https://www.cnn.com/2026/05/04/politics/video/inside-politics-midterms-six-months-away