NPR is reporting that primary elections are underway today in Kansas, Michigan, Missouri, Virginia and Washington, with particular attention on Michigan's open Senate seat. It said Democrats are aiming to regain control of the chamber, and Michigan voters will choose between two Democratic candidates to face Republican former Congressman Mike Rogers in November. NPR's Sam Gringlas told Up First that the race has become a proxy for major debates within the Democratic Party, including establishment versus insurgent and further-left versus more moderate ideologies. Congresswoman Haley Stevens is competing against Abdul El-Sayed, who champions Medicare for All. Gringlas said the outcome will help determine if a leftist candidate can succeed in a battleground state. Other Midwest states are also testing grounds for progressive candidates. The Senate Judiciary Committee is expected to move forward with Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche's confirmation vote today, NPR said. It reported that Republican Sens. John Cornyn and Thom Tillis dropped objections after Blanche provided written confirmation that the controversial $1.8 billion "anti-weaponization fund" would be rescinded. This fund, created as part of a settlement for a lawsuit President Donald J Trump filed against the IRS, raised concerns about compensating the president's allies and Jan. 6 rioters. Blanche also confirmed a tax immunity deal would only apply retroactively to the president, his two sons and the Trump organization. NPR's Ryan Lucas pointed out that legal experts question the binding nature of Blanche's documents and suggest other issues, including his handling of the Epstein files, should prompt further congressional scrutiny. In Spokane, Washington, the Spokane County Sheriff's Department has arrested 37-year-old Aaron Farinacci on first-degree arson charges in connection with one of the area's most destructive fires, NPR reported. It said firefighters are battling three major wildfires that have displaced approximately 65,000 people since last weekend, burning more than 7,000 acres and destroying about 600 homes. NPR's Kirk Siegler said evacuated residents might not be able to return home for days as unpredictable winds pick up. Siegler added that the Spokane fires, occurring amid hotter, drier conditions linked to climate change, ignited in wildlands but were carried into neighborhoods where structures fueled their spread. NPR is also reporting that the bipartisan House Ethics Committee recommended censuring Rep. Chuck Edwards (R-N.C.) for "persistent unprofessional and inappropriate conduct" toward two young female staffers. The committee found no evidence of propositioning or sexual activity. Additionally, NPR said the Trump administration is opening some U.S. marine national monuments and sanctuaries in the Pacific Ocean to commercial fishing. It noted that Hawaii's fishing fleet supports the move, citing increasing competition and rising diesel costs, while many Native Hawaiian cultural groups oppose it, viewing the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands as sacred. Conservationists warn that these marine areas require the highest level of protection amid climate change. NPR reported two people in Michigan have died from a cyclosporiasis outbreak. The federal government dropped charges against three people accused of damaging the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool, attributing the damage to a "botched installation" by a contractor chosen by Trump.
