Wednesday, 5 August 2026

Abdul El-Sayed, a progressive candidate and former public health official, won Michigan's Democratic Senate primary against moderate Rep. Haley Stevens, marking a major victory for left-wing insurgents over the Democratic establishment in a key swing state.

Senate confirmed Dr. Erica Schwartz as CDC director by a 51-44 vote, filling a critical leadership vacancy at the agency amid public health crises and organizational turmoil following mass resignations and staffing cuts.

New Mexico's attorney general sued the Trump administration and Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche, alleging they are obstructing the state's investigation into Jeffrey Epstein's crimes at his Zorro Ranch by withholding key unredacted documents.

An armed man was arrested at Trump's California golf club ahead of the president's visit with a loaded pistol, rifle, and suspicious notebooks; authorities said he appeared to be 'monitoring security-planning activities' at the facility.

A federal judge in Rhode Island revealed the threats he has received after ruling against Trump administration policies, describing targeted harassment including suspicious delivery orders placed in his name.

Iran and Oman announced they have agreed on coordinates for a shipping route through the Strait of Hormuz, moving closer to finalizing an interim deal to reopen the critical waterway and pave the way for peace talks between Tehran and Washington.

An investigation by the Associated Press found that Trump's immigration crackdown has detained more than 50 military spouses and parents of active-duty U.S. troops, rolling back decades of bipartisan protections for military families.

Trump-endorsed candidate Amir Hassan lost his Michigan Republican primary to Thomas J. Smith, a political unknown who had suspended his campaign and received almost no funding, in a fresh setback for Trump's endorsement power.

The Trump administration has paid out $100 billion in tariff refunds, representing more than half of the $166 billion owed to American businesses after the Supreme Court ruled Trump's emergency tariff authority unconstitutional.

Republicans are losing faith in Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, with concerns ranging from his conduct during the Iran war to his overhaul of military leadership structure and controversial base renaming decisions.

Two federal appeals courts on the same day blocked the Trump administration's mass immigration detention policy, which claimed authority to indefinitely detain migrants without bond hearings in violation of established legal protections.