Trump-endorsed candidates seek election wins in a slew of primary races and runoffs. A divided diaspora watches Iran at the World Cup. And Roblox releases a new feature to tackle child safety concerns.
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Here’s what to know today.
Trump tests and looming battleground races in today’s primaries
A slew of elections today across the U.S. will put President Donald Trump’s influence to the test again and set off general election campaigns in battleground states. The District of Columbia and Oklahoma are holding primary races, while Georgia and Alabama have primary runoff races.
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Trump announced a last-minute endorsement in the Republican Senate runoff in Georgia over the weekend, backing GOP Rep. Mike Collins against former football coach Derek Dooley. Collins has framed himself as a staunch Trump ally, but recent controversies involving a longtime staffer could hurt him.
Alabama’s race to replace GOP Sen. Tommy Tuberville, who is running for governor, is between Trump-endorsed Rep. Barry Moore and Jared Hudson, a former Navy SEAL. And in Oklahoma, Trump has backed former state Sen. Mike Mazzei to replace term-limited Gov. Kevin Stitt, but Mazzei faces a crowded Republican field.
Meanwhile, a battle between the Democratic establishment and the progressive wing of the party will play out in Washington, D.C., where Mayor Muriel Bowser’s decision to retire has spawned a crowded race. This could result in another major U.S. city being led by a self-described democratic socialist — though it’s possible we won’t learn the final result for a few days.
Here’s what else to watch today — including a special election in California to replace former Rep. Eric Swalwell and more.
More politics news:
- California Gov. Gavin Newsom said the DOJ is investigating him and his wife.
- Only one Dan Sullivan remains in Alaska’s Senate race.
- JD Vance admitted that his comment calling Kamala Harris and other Democrats “childless cat ladies” was “boneheaded.”
- For subscribers: Vance’s role chairing the White House Task Force to Eliminate Fraud has brought a blitz of action and heated rhetoric in the few months he has been on the job — from a crackdown on hospice centers to the creation of a “Most Wanted Fraudsters” list.
Inside the scramble that forced Anthropic’s AI models offline
Anthropic’s decision last week to take down its newest AI systems from public use began with a passing reference to a security finding about the company’s Fable 5 model on a call between Amazon CEO Andy Jassy and Trump administration officials, according to an individual familiar with the matter.
The call set off a frantic scramble within the White House that soon ballooned into an attempt to clamp down on a perceived national security risk. The concern snowballed until it culminated in an unprecedented directive from the Commerce Department that forced Anthropic to take its Fable 5 and Mythos 5 models offline Friday night.
The Trump administration’s move marked the first time the federal government had caused a leading AI company to retract its systems from public use, heralding a new era of government oversight amid different ideas about how to best govern advanced systems.
Read the full story here.
Vance says nuclear inspectors will return to Iran
Vice President JD Vance said that nuclear inspectors will be allowed back into Iran as part of a deal with the U.S. to end the monthslong war in the Middle East. In an interview with NBC News’ Tom Llamas, Vance said: “In fact, one of the core parts of the agreement is that the [International Atomic Energy Agency] and the United States are going to help Iran destroy the highly enriched stockpile, and that’s something that’s spelled out very clearly” in the memorandum of understanding, or MOU.
The text of the MOU — a framework to end the war that was agreed to by both countries — will be released after a formal signing ceremony Friday in Switzerland, Vance said, confirming a timeline shared by Trump. A start date for the nuclear inspections could also be hashed out then, Vance said.
Vance also responded to skepticism expressed by former President Barack Obama and downplayed Iran’s plans to charge service fees for ships passing through the Strait of Hormuz.
Read more about his comments.
More Iran war news:
- Speaking at the G7 in France, Trump said that the Iran deal is done and will go to a second stage, which will be “easier.” Follow the latest on our liveblog.
- Energy prices broadly tumbled and global stocks rose, but only moderately, after the U.S. and Iran’s agreement was announced.
- Renewed fighting between Israel and Hezbollah could sink the deal.
8 presumed dead after Air Force bomber crashes
Two Boeing employees were among the eight people presumed dead after a B-52 bomber crashed yesterday at Edwards Air Force Base in California. Officials said those on board included government contractors and uniformed military. The B-52 Stratofortress, which was supporting the “radar modernization program,” was on a “routine test mission” when it went down shortly after takeoff. Aerial video of the crash site showed a large black, smoking debris field in the desert.
Officials said it could take up to half a year to complete an investigation into the crash.
Here’s what else we know.
Pride and protest in ‘Tehrangeles’
For many Iranian immigrants, their lives shaped by exile, revolution and political upheaval, rooting for Team Melli has never been straightforward. But as Iran took on New Zealand for their World Cup opener yesterday, the lion-and-sun flag, associated with the country before the 1979 Islamic Revolution, was seemingly everywhere across “Tehrangeles.”
The thrill of this World Cup for soccer-mad Iran and its diaspora comes at an especially fraught time for its citizens inside and outside of the country, coming soon after a brutal government crackdown and a war launched by the U.S. and Israel that consumed the Middle East.
By gametime, this Iran team had been met with both jeers — as the national anthem played — and thunderous cheers — when they scored in the 2-2 tie. It suggested pride in a country can coexist with opposition to its government.
A divided diaspora watches Iran at the World Cup.
💥 What you missed: All four of Monday’s matches ended in ties. In the surprise result of the tournament so far, reigning European champions Spain drew 0-0 with debutants Cape Verde; a lackluster Belgium were held to a 1-1 tie with Egypt, the same scoreline as Saudi Arabia-Uruguay. See highlights from yesterday.
🙌 A seven-save spectacle: Meet the 40-year-old goalkeeper who kept Spain’s Lamine Yamal, among others, at bay in tiny Cape Verde’s historic tie.
🗓 What to watch today: France and Senegal kick off at 3 p.m. ET, Iraq and Norway at 6 p.m., Argentina and Algeria at 9 p.m., and Austria and Jordan at midnight. See the full schedule.
🇦🇷 🇵🇹 One last hurrah: If both countries advance to the knockout stages, there could be a final matchup between two all-time greats surely playing at their final World Cup: Argentina’s Lionel Messi, 38, and Portugal’s Cristiano Ronaldo, 41.
📩 Join the excitement: Sign up for The Sports Desk newsletter for more in-depth World Cup coverage.
Read All About It
- “Love Island USA” executive producer James Barker died at the age of 40 after a medical emergency while filming the show in Fiji.
- Three of the 12 people killed in a skydiving plane crash in Missouri have been identified.
- Tributes for singer Oliver Tree poured in after a deadly helicopter crash in Brazil.
Staff Pick: How old are you really? Inside Roblox’s new campaign to verify user ages
Popular online gaming company Roblox is beloved by its millions of daily users who play games and chat with their friends. But many worry it’s not doing enough to protect its young users from online predators. Roblox recently reached multi-million dollar settlements with three states over child safety, and several other states are investigating or have pending lawsuits against the company.
Today, Roblox is launching age-based accounts, a new safety feature requiring users to verify their age with a government ID or AI-powered face-scanning technology and then placing them in account types with chat and gaming restrictions depending on their age group.
Our team got an exclusive first look at the age-based accounts at the company’s headquarters in San Mateo, California. We brought in several kids to try out the tech (including one 11-year-old who tried to fool it with a fake mustache). And we pressed Roblox’s VP of safety product policy on whether the new features are enough to keep kids safe on the platform — and on pushback it has received from its own fans. — Kayla Steinberg, business & economy producer
NBC Select: Online Shopping, Simplified
It’s a big week for sales! Walmart is having a secret pet sale with up to 70% off food bowls, litter boxes, toys and more, while Wayfair’s Hot Summer Sale offers massive discounts on major garden finds. Plus, you can score a pair of Birkenstocks for only $40 during Nordstrom’s summer sake.
Sign up to The Selection newsletter for hands-on product reviews, expert shopping tips and a look at the best deals and sales each week.
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