Democratic Representative John Larson, who has served central Connecticut since the late 1990s, lost the Democratic primary to Luke Bronin, a former mayor of Hartford. Bronin led Larson by nearly 20 percentage points with over half of the votes counted.
Key Facts
John Larson served as a U.S. Representative from central Connecticut for 14 terms.
The primary election occurred on Tuesday, with results reported around 10:15 p.m. Eastern Time.
Luke Bronin, former Hartford Mayor, challenged Larson and won the Democratic primary.
Bronin led Larson by about 7,000 votes and nearly 20 percentage points when more than half the votes were counted.
The campaign focused partly on the theme of generational change, suggesting a shift to younger leadership.
This election affects the U.S. House of Representatives seat for central Connecticut.
The story is developing and may be updated with more information.
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Michele Tafoya won the Republican nomination for the U.S. Senate in Minnesota’s primary election. She campaigned on issues like stopping fraud, supporting police, and lowering taxes for middle-class people.
Key Facts
Michele Tafoya is a former TV sports reporter.
She won the Minnesota Republican Senate primary.
Tafoya said Minnesota is facing a leadership crisis.
She wants to stop fraud, support law enforcement, and cut taxes for the middle class.
No Republican has been elected to the U.S. Senate from Minnesota since 2002.
Tafoya beat several candidates, including Adam Schwarze, who was endorsed by the state Republican Party.
The primary election was held as part of the 2024 election cycle.
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President Donald Trump secretly changed planes after leaving a Nato summit in Turkey because of a possible threat. U.S. officials had detected a credible missile threat from Iran targeting the plane he was on, so the Secret Service and military arranged the switch to protect him.
Key Facts
President Trump swapped planes secretly on 8 July after the Nato summit in Turkey.
He initially boarded Air Force One but was taken off using a catering truck to a different military plane.
The U.S. detected a credible Iranian threat to fire a missile at the plane carrying the president.
Journalists and some White House staff on Air Force One did not know about the plane swap.
The alternate plane was a smaller C-32A, often used by the vice-president.
Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth also boarded the C-32A separately to keep the flight appearance normal.
The change was part of a security response following renewed U.S. military strikes on Iran.
President Trump said he followed instructions from the Secret Service and military.
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Rep. John Larson, a Democrat from Connecticut, lost his primary election to Luke Bronin, a former mayor. This marks the seventh time this year a Democratic House incumbent has been defeated in a primary, a rare event in recent decades.
Key Facts
John Larson, 78 years old, was unseated by 47-year-old Luke Bronin in the Democratic primary.
Bronin raised $3.1 million for his campaign, more than Larson's $2.7 million.
The state Democratic Party supported Bronin, while Larson had backing from House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries and Connecticut’s delegation.
Outside groups supported both candidates, with VoteVets spending over $1 million to help Bronin.
Bronin campaigned on the need for younger leadership and change in Congress.
Larson experienced a public health incident during a speech, described as a complex partial seizure.
Several other older Democrats lost to younger challengers in primaries this year, signaling a trend.
Some older incumbents managed to keep their seats despite similar challenges.
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The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) announced plans to equip Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officers with special gloves that deliver electric shocks to people. These gloves, called G.L.O.V.E., could cost up to $20 million to buy.
Key Facts
DHS published a notice about new electric shock gloves for ICE officers.
The gloves are called Generated Low Output Voltage Emitter (G.L.O.V.E.).
ICE intends to purchase these gloves to use during their operations.
The project could cost up to $20 million.
The gloves deliver painful but non-lethal electric shocks.
The announcement was made on a Wednesday.
The gloves are intended as a new tool for law enforcement.
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Senator Amy Klobuchar is expected to win the Democratic primary for Minnesota governor and will compete against the Republican candidate in the November election. Klobuchar has a strong lead in votes and has focused her campaign on addressing fraud issues in the state.
Key Facts
Amy Klobuchar is projected to win the Democratic primary for Minnesota governor.
She has received over 86% of the votes counted so far, with 12% of votes tallied.
Klobuchar’s running mate is Ben Schierer, a former mayor of Fergus Falls.
The Minnesota Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party officially endorsed Klobuchar and Schierer in May.
Klobuchar wants to focus on fixing fraud problems in Minnesota as part of her campaign.
Incumbent Governor Tim Walz is not running for a third term.
Minnesota has not elected a Republican governor since 2006.
If Klobuchar wins the governorship, she must resign her U.S. Senate seat, which will be temporarily filled by a governor’s appointee until a special election.
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Matt Little, a former Minnesota state senator, won the Democratic primary for Minnesota’s 2nd Congressional District. He will compete against Republican Eric Pratt, also a state senator, in the November election.
Key Facts
Matt Little won the Democratic primary for Minnesota’s 2nd Congressional District.
Little previously served as a Minnesota state senator.
Little defeated Matt Klein and Kaela Berg in a three-way primary race.
Eric Pratt, a Republican and state senator, is the Republican candidate for the same seat.
The seat is currently open, meaning no current officeholder is running for it.
The general election is scheduled for November.
Republicans aim to flip (win) this seat from the Democrats.
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Michael Alfonso, the son-in-law of Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy, won the Republican primary for Wisconsin’s 7th Congressional District. Alfonso, 26 years old and new to politics, received support from President Donald Trump and his father-in-law, who previously held the same congressional seat.
Key Facts
Michael Alfonso won the GOP primary for Wisconsin’s 7th Congressional District.
Alfonso is the son-in-law of Sean Duffy, the current Transportation Secretary.
Sean Duffy previously represented this congressional district for almost a decade.
Michael Alfonso is 26 years old and new to politics.
Alfonso received backing from President Donald Trump.
The seat Alfonso won the primary for is currently open, with no incumbent running.
The primary win positions Alfonso to run for Congress in the general election.
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Rhett Marques, supported by President Trump, won the Republican primary in Alabama's new 2nd Congressional District. The district was redrawn to favor Republicans, making it harder for Democratic Rep. Shomari Figures to be reelected.
Key Facts
Rhett Marques won the crowded Republican primary for Alabama's new 2nd District.
President Trump and other Republican leaders endorsed Marques.
Democratic Rep. Shomari Figures won the seat in 2024 but faces tougher reelection after redistricting.
The Supreme Court ruled Alabama’s previous congressional map discriminated against Black voters.
The new map removed Mobile from the 2nd District, reducing its Black voter population.
The University of Virginia’s Center for Politics rates this race as likely Republican.
The redrawing of the district aims to help Republicans win more seats in Alabama.
The race is part of the 2026 midterm election contests.
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Rep. Derrick Van Orden, a Republican from Wisconsin, is expected to face Rebecca Cooke, a Democrat, again for a key U.S. House seat in Wisconsin. Cooke narrowly lost to Van Orden in the 2024 election by about 11,000 votes and has won her party’s nomination to challenge him once more.
Key Facts
Derrick Van Orden is the current Republican representative for a central and western Wisconsin House district.
Rebecca Cooke is a Democrat who works as a political fundraiser and waitress.
Cooke ran against Van Orden in 2024 and lost by around 11,000 votes.
Cooke has now won her party’s nomination to run again against Van Orden.
The district is considered a battleground, meaning it could be competitive for both parties.
Cooke defeated a former Eau Claire City Council member to secure the Democratic nomination.
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Senator Amy Klobuchar won the Democratic primary for governor in Minnesota. She is expected to be a strong candidate in the November election to replace Governor Tim Walz, who decided not to run for a third term.
Key Facts
Amy Klobuchar is a U.S. Senator who has served four terms.
Klobuchar ran for president in 2020.
Governor Tim Walz chose not to seek a third term.
Walz faced criticism over how his administration handled fraud in state social services.
Klobuchar entered the governor race late, in late January.
She faced little competition from other Democrats in the primary.
If elected, Klobuchar will be Minnesota’s first female governor.
Summer polls show her leading against possible opponents, though with smaller margins than in past Senate races.
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The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) announced that 35 states have stopped taking Social Security survivor benefits from children in foster care. These benefits, meant to support orphans after a parent's death, were previously intercepted by state agencies.
Key Facts
HHS officials reported the change on a recent Tuesday.
Thirty-five states have ended the practice of taking Social Security benefits from foster children.
These benefits are survivor benefits, given after the death of a parent who contributed to Social Security.
The money was previously taken by state agencies instead of going fully to the children.
The policy to intercept these benefits had been in place for many years.
This change aims to ensure that orphans in foster care receive the full amount intended for their support.
Social Security survivor benefits help provide financial assistance to children who lost a parent.
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Luke Bronin, the former mayor of Hartford, won the Democratic primary against Rep. John Larson in Connecticut’s 1st Congressional District. Bronin will now move on to the general election in November.
Key Facts
Luke Bronin served as mayor of Hartford, Connecticut.
Bronin defeated John Larson in the Democratic primary.
John Larson had been the representative since 1998.
The election was for Connecticut’s 1st Congressional District.
Bronin faced three other Democratic challengers.
The primary result is based on preliminary data from Decision Desk HQ.
Bronin’s win means he will be the Democratic candidate in the November election.
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Rhett Marques is expected to win the Republican nomination for Alabama’s 2nd Congressional District. He will run against Democratic Representative Shomari Figures in the upcoming election. The district’s boundaries were recently changed by a court decision, which may make it harder for Figures to win.
Key Facts
Rhett Marques is the projected Republican nominee for Alabama’s 2nd Congressional District.
He will compete against Democratic Rep. Shomari Figures in the general election.
The district was redrawn by Alabama Republicans.
The U.S. Supreme Court allowed the 2023 redistricting map to be reinstated.
The redistricting removed the Montgomery-area district where the majority of voters are Black.
This change reduces Shomari Figures’ chances of winning re-election.
The decision was made in June 2024.
Decision Desk HQ provided the projection about Marques’ nomination.
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In South Carolina, Sen. Darline Graham and Rep. Ralph Norman will compete in a runoff election on August 25. This special primary is to choose who will replace the late Sen. Lindsey Graham on the November ballot.
Key Facts
The election is a special primary for the U.S. Senate seat in South Carolina.
The seat was vacated due to the death of Sen. Lindsey Graham.
Darline Graham was appointed in July to finish Lindsey Graham’s term.
Darline Graham and Ralph Norman are the top two candidates moving to a runoff.
The runoff election will take place on August 25, 2026.
The winner will be on the ballot for the November general election.
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On August 11, 2026, voters in Wisconsin voted in primary elections to choose candidates for governor and several U.S. House seats. The current governor, Tony Evers, decided not to run again, making this the first open governor race since 2010.
Key Facts
Wisconsin held primary elections on August 11, 2026.
Voters chose candidates from the Republican and Democratic parties.
The governor’s seat is open because Democratic Governor Tony Evers is not seeking reelection.
This is the first open governor race in Wisconsin since 2010.
Several U.S. House primary races took place alongside the governor’s race.
These elections will influence which party controls Congress.
The election results are closely watched as a sign of the Democratic Party’s strength in Wisconsin.
ABC News provided live coverage and updates during the voting.
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In South Carolina, Republicans Darline Graham and Ralph Norman will face each other in a runoff to decide who will challenge Democrat Annie Andrews in the November Senate election. Annie Andrews won the Democratic nomination earlier and is trying to flip the seat in a mostly Republican state after Senator Lindsey Graham’s death.
Key Facts
Senator Lindsey Graham died in July 2023, leaving his Senate seat open.
Republican Governor Henry McMaster appointed Darline Graham, Lindsey Graham’s sister, to temporarily fill the seat.
In the Republican primary, no candidate got over 50%, so a runoff between Darline Graham (32.6%) and Ralph Norman (24%) was set for August 25.
Annie Andrews, a pediatrician, won the Democratic nomination earlier and faces no primary competition.
South Carolina is a strongly Republican state, last voting Democratic for president in 1976 and supporting President Trump by 18 points in 2024.
Andrews focuses her campaign on issues like Medicaid cuts and gas prices, hoping to attract voters dissatisfied with current conditions.
President Trump endorsed Darline Graham, but she did not win outright in the primary.
Early voting in the runoff is scheduled for August 19-21, with the general election in November.
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Police in New South Wales, Australia, were called after a suitcase containing what looked like a human body was found near Goulburn. After investigation and forensic tests, the "body" was revealed to be a lifelike sex doll. Police followed standard procedures during the investigation, and no crime is believed to be involved.
Key Facts
Two members of the public found a suitcase on the roadside near Goulburn, NSW, and thought it contained human remains.
Police initially treated the case as a serious incident and sent the suitcase to the forensic lab.
Forensic tests showed the "body" was a realistic sex doll with features like hair, clothing, and marks resembling bruises.
Police avoided fully opening the suitcase immediately to preserve potential evidence, following proper crime scene protocols.
Experts said lifelike dolls can be mistaken for real bodies, and suitcases can be places where real bodies are found in crimes.
Police confirmed the doll was not childlike, and the investigation found no criminal links.
Authorities praised the public for reporting the suspicious item quickly and said police did the right thing by investigating carefully.
Police maintain no regrets about the thorough procedures used to handle the case with full integrity.
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A federal judge has stopped the U.S. Postal Service from following an executive order by President Donald Trump that limited mail-in ballot delivery to states sharing voter lists with the federal government. The judge had already ruled in June that the order did not apply, and this decision keeps those limits from being enforced.
Key Facts
The judge blocked the USPS from enforcing President Trump's executive order on mail-in voting.
The order required states to give the federal government lists of eligible voters before receiving mail-in ballots.
The ruling prevents the USPS from restricting the delivery of mail-in ballots based on these lists.
Judge Indira Talwani made a similar ruling in June, saying the order did not apply.
This case involves mail-in voting and how federal rules affect state election processes.
The decision supports broader access to mail-in voting without extra conditions from the federal government.
The ruling impacts how the 2024 election and future mail-in voting procedures might be handled.
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U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) plans to buy special gloves that can deliver electric shocks to control people who resist them. The gloves, called G.L.O.V.E., are designed to help officers quickly gain control in difficult situations and cost between $10 million and $20 million.
Key Facts
ICE intends to buy electric shock gloves by March through a possible no-bid contract.
The gloves are called G.L.O.V.E. (Generated Low Output Voltage Emitter) and are made by Compliant Technologies LLC.
The gloves work like normal gloves but can deliver an electric shock when a switch is pressed and the gloves touch a person's skin.
The shocks cause immediate, sharp pain, similar to a bee sting, to distract and gain compliance.
The company recommends not using the gloves on children, pregnant women, elderly or disabled people, or for verbal defiance alone.
Civil rights groups, including the ACLU, have concerns about potential misuse and the necessity of these devices in immigration enforcement.
Officers must complete training and recertify every two years to use the gloves.
Supporters say the gloves are typically used in controlled jail or transport settings to handle violent or resisting individuals.
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