NPR is reporting that Trump-backed Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton defeated four-term GOP Sen. John Cornyn to become the Republican nominee for a U.S. Senate seat. It said Paxton, 63, outpolled 74-year-old Cornyn by a margin of nearly two to one in Tuesday's runoff election. The primary race was the most expensive in Senate history, with Republicans spending $100 million. Houston Public Media’s Andrew Schneider told Up First that the election centered on a potential changing of the guard, with Cornyn representing the establishment wing of the Texas Republican Party. Paxton had argued Cornyn was not sufficiently supportive of President Trump. Paxton will now face Democratic nominee state Rep. James Talarico in the midterms.
The outlet is also reporting that South Carolina lawmakers blocked President Trump's effort to alter voting maps ahead of the midterm elections. It said a new map could have flipped the state's only Democratic-held House seat, currently held by Rep. James Clyburn, making all seven congressional districts lean Republican. South Carolina Public Radio’s Gavin Jackson said redistricting took center stage during the final days of the legislative session. Gov. Henry McMaster had called a special session to address a new map, stating the president needed a Republican Congress. However, some prominent state Senate Republicans pushed back against the redistricting process, citing anticipated lawsuits and the costs of delaying primaries.
NPR is reporting the Department of Homeland Security is expanding its iris scanning capacity as part of its mass deportation efforts. It said privacy experts have raised concerns that the agency is collecting biometric data from detained individuals. DHS awarded a $25 million no-bid contract to BI2 Technologies, a company specializing in iris scanning, which is more than five times the amount of BI2’s previous contract.
The Trump administration has mass-deleted information regarding prosecutions related to the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol, NPR is reporting. It said Justice Department news releases detailing guilty pleas, jury verdicts and prison sentences disappeared from government websites. An NPR review found the deletions included information about some of the most serious assaults on law enforcement that happened that day, marking the latest attempt by Trump to alter the narrative surrounding the riot.
NPR is also exploring the increased intermixing of God and government in a new series titled "Church and State." It said the Trump administration applies biblical references to connect its policies and actions to God’s will, citing a Department of Homeland Security video for immigration enforcement that used the phrase "Blessed are the peacemakers."
Finally, NPR is reporting that workers have begun assembling a temporary outdoor stadium on the White House South Lawn for a Ultimate Fighting Championship event on June 14, marking the nation’s 250th anniversary. It said UFC chief Dana White, a friend of Trump, agreed to build the stadium despite doubts about outdoor fighting, and intends to showcase America's diversity rather than frame the event as "USA against the world."