Michigan Democratic race to close to call with El-Sayed in narrow lead | First Thing
Congresswoman Haley Stevens trails intensely Senate primary as counting continues
Good morning.
A Democratic Senate primary in Michigan remains too close to call, with Abdul El-Sayed, a progressive former public health official, holding a narrow lead over the establishment-backed congresswoman Haley Stevens. The battleground state is crucial to the party’s hopes of winning back control of the Senate in November.
At about 4am local time, El-Sayed had 48.7% of the vote and Stevens 47.3%, with 95% of votes counted, according to the Associated Press. In remarks to supporters, El-Sayed said: “We’re going to have to wait a little longer to see the outcome of this race, but as I look in front of me, I already see [it].”
In Missouri, the Democratic congressman Wesley Bell won his primary, ending the progressive former representative Cori Bush’s comeback attempt and blunting the momentum that pro-Palestinian candidates have shown in recent elections.
Who won in the crowded primary in Washington state? The Democratic representative Marie Gluesenkamp Perez secured one of two spots in the all-party primary, overcoming criticism from both the left and the right. She will face the Republican state senator John Braun in November.
Why are citizens being denied a voice in Missouri? The state’s top election official has rejected a petition seeking a statewide referendum on redistricting. Hundreds of thousands of petition signatures had been submitted in an effort to force a vote on whether to use a new US House map approved by the Republican-led state legislature. The Republican secretary of state, Denny Hoskins, said the number submitted did not matter because challenging a congressional map was unconstitutional under Missouri law.
US revokes Brazil ambassador’s visa in escalation of diplomatic feud
Donald Trump’s administration has revoked the visa of Brazil’s ambassador to the US, in a sharp escalation of a diplomatic feud with the Brazilian president, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva. The administration stopped short of expelling Maria Luiza Ribeiro Viotti.
The confrontation is the latest in a series of clashes between Trump and Lula, with their governments sharply diverging over Latin American politics, Venezuela, Cuba and the role of the US in the region. Trump has repeatedly intervened in political contests across Latin America, while Lula has made national sovereignty a central theme of his campaign.
What is the dispute about? The US Department of State said Viotti’s visa had been cancelled in retaliation for Brasília’s refusal to approve Trump’s nominee for ambassador to Brazil and its decision last month to deny visas to two US diplomats. Brasília swiftly condemned the decision, calling it part of a deliberate campaign to influence the outcome of the presidential election in Brazil this October. Lula, 80, is seeking a fourth, non-consecutive term against Flávio Bolsonaro, the senator son of the former president Jair Bolsonaro and a close political ally of Trump.
OpenAI pays $3.2m to settle claims it discriminated against US workers
OpenAI and a subsidiary will pay $3.2m to settle US government claims they favored foreign workers with temporary employment visas and discriminated against US job applicants in recruiting and hiring, the justice department has said.
The assistant attorney general Harmeet Dhillon said: “This substantial settlement ensures that OpenAI redresses harm and changes its recruitment practices so US workers receive a fair opportunity for highly sought-after technology positions.” OpenAI did not immediately respond to a request for comment. The company denied wrongdoing in the settlement agreement.
El Niño could push 50m people into acute hunger before end of 2027
About 50 million people are likely to be pushed into acute hunger before the end of next year by the rapidly developing El Niño weather system, according to forecasting. This is in addition to the hundreds of millions of people already facing dangerous levels of hunger, owing to years of drought in parts of Africa and pressure on food prices caused by the Iran war.
Even if the forecasted El Niño is less strong than some models predict, it will tip many countries over the edge, adding more than a fifth to the 225 million people in 45 countries in acute food insecurity, the UN’s World Food Programme said on Wednesday.
In other news …
A Russian attack on Kyiv has killed at least 17 people after Ukraine was unable to shoot down any incoming missiles. The intensifying attacks have prompted Kyiv to plead for more US-made Patriot interceptors.
The celebrity blogger Perez Hilton has been hospitalised after apparently livestreaming acts of self-harm on TikTok.
The Trump ally Mike Lindell is leaving his role with the MyPillow company to focus on his campaign to become the next governor of Minnesota. Lindell has spent millions of dollars trying to prove the 2020 election was rife with fraud.
An armed man has been arrested at Trump’s California golf course. Jeanine John Taele allegedly took photos and videos of the property days before the president’s visit.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has reportedly expanded the scope of the largest known cyclosporiasis outbreak in the US to 15 states. Arkansas, Iowa, Missouri, Nebraska, New Hampshire and North Carolina are now said to be affected.
Stat of the day: UFC’s White House spectacle led to losses of about $30m, company reveals
Freedom 250 at the White House garnered 8.2 million viewers domestically and about 34 million worldwide, making it one of the most-watched mixed martial events of all-time, but led to losses of about $30m, the company’s owners announced.
Well Actually: Skip the run – here are six joint-friendly cardio alternatives suggested by experts
Whether you’re nursing a joint, have a condition or just don’t feel like running, Rae Witte suggests these exercises to help still get your cardio in. And hobbies can improve your health – Julia Hotz has four tips for choosing one.
Don’t miss this: The ‘Cockroach Lord’ who names new species after Tolkien and Pokémon characters
The invertebrate of the year 2026 competition is running, and Rebecca Ratcliffe has spoken to Cristian Lucañas, who has discovered multiple species of cockroach in the Philippines. He believes there is far more to the much-maligned insect than meets the eye. Here are six mind-bendingly amazing facts about invertebrates to intrigue you, but in my book this “immortal” jellyfish is going to take some beating.
… or this: Protesters occupy 200-year-old tree at US-Mexico border to stop its destruction
Protesters are staging a “tree sit” in a tiny Arizona town to prevent the destruction of a grove of ancient cottonwood trees as federal contractors race to build a row of two 30ft walls along the border with Sonora, Mexico.
Climate check: Three lions die of suspected heatstroke at Tokyo zoo as Japan swelters
Three lions from a Tokyo zoo have died from suspected heatstroke as Japan swelters. Japan experienced its hottest summer on record last year, and in recent weeks parts of the country have hit 40C, qualifying for the new “cruelly hot day” designation.
Last Thing: AI-generated stories rated better quality than human-written ones, study finds
In a development that sounds rather worrying for people who write for a living – yours truly, for example – a study has found participants who read an AI-generated story rated it as more absorbing and of higher quality than those who read a human-written one. Uh-oh.
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