5 takeaways as primaries end, Trump’s final sprint begins

▪ Kennedy Center board votes to close again

The general election season has officially entered the home stretch as the last primaries wrapped up Tuesday and President Trump today is making the first of many promised campaign stops in the coming weeks.

Delaware held its primaries without much fanfare, as no major candidate faced significant opposition. But the elections still marked a symbolic turning point in the election calendar as all states can now shift their attention to November.

And Trump is heading to North Carolina to start as he seeks to boost Republicans in major battlegrounds that are critical to the party’s chances of holding onto control of Congress.

Here’s five takeaways as the election season reaches its final stretch.

The president earlier this month promised to hit the campaign trail for Republicans in 35 races across the country. One stop typically includes a handful of candidates.

First on the list is North Carolina, where former Republican National Committee Chair Michael Whatley is facing a difficult contest for Senate against the state’s popular former governor, Roy Cooper (D).The state is the only battleground that Trump carried in all three of his presidential contests, but his approval ratings remains near record lows.

Trump’s approval has been on the downslope since July, according to the Decision Desk HQ (DDHQ) polling tracker . That could make Trump toxic to congressional candidates running in key races this year.

Many vulnerable Republicans have sought to distance themselves from the president in recent weeks, though party leadership is firmly behind Trump’s approach to turn out the base by asking GOP voters to act as if he’s on the ballot .

In North Carolina, the trip comes as Whatley has been consistently trailing Cooper in polls, raising alarms for Republicans trying to keep the Senate, The Hill’s Julia Manchester reports for Insider.

Trump’s falling approval rating is far from the only data that has boosted Democrats’ hopes that a blue wave could be achievable this year.

Democrats have held a steady lead in the generic congressional ballot for months, a margin that currently stands at nearly 7 points on average. A New York Times/Siena poll released Tuesday suggested more good news for Democrats, finding likely voters favor them over Republicans by almost 9 points.

Pollsters also found respondents said they trusted Democrats more on a variety of issues, including healthcare, the economy and immigration.

Democrats have been feeling increasingly hopeful about flipping several key Senate battlegrounds that Trump carried by double digits just two years ago. The most recent surveys have shown James Talarico (D) leading Ken Paxton (R) in Texas, results that led the election handicapper VoteHub to shift its rating of the Lone Star State from “tossup” to “tilt Democrat.”

Polls have also shown former Sen. Sherrod Brown (D-Ohio) and former Rep. Mary Peltola (D-Alaska) ahead in their respective Senate races. Republicans got some good news this week, with Cook Political Report shifting the New Hampshire Senate race toward GOP nominee John Sununu .

Republicans’ redistricting wall in doubt

As the Senate battle becomes more competitive, the race for the House majority is only getting more difficult for the GOP. That’s in part because Republicans’ plans to build a safety net through mid-decade redistricting appears likely to yield minimal returns.

DDHQ chief elections analyst Geoffrey Skelley wrote in an analysis Tuesday on Substack that Democrats are forecast to gain an average of two seats across the nine states that redistricted in the past year.

Republicans redrew lines in states like Texas and Florida to oust a few Democratic incumbents, but some of them are favored to hold onto their seats anyhow. And the GOP suffered a blow in the past week as courts blocked a new congressional map in Missouri that would have eliminated a Democratic-held district.

Supreme Court settles mail-in voting question

After months of lingering legal and practical questions surrounding Trump’s mail-in ballot executive order, the Supreme Court’s Monday ruling settled the debate, at least for now.

The decision handed the president another defeat, as the court declined to allow his mail-in restrictions plan to go into effect in time for November’s midterm elections.

Trump’s directive to the U.S. Postal Service would have permitted the agency to only deliver mail-in ballots to those on lists of eligible voters that states would be required to send in to the federal government.

The ruling doesn’t end the legal battle over Trump’s executive order seeking to place restrictions on mail-ins, but it does essentially ensure the move can’t go into effect this year.

Trump slammed the court for its decision , in particular his three appointees whom he said are “not the people I interviewed” to serve on the court.

One other source of political anxiety for the president, in addition to the economic realities, is the spiking cost of gas.

The price of regular gas and diesel have both jumped significantly in recent weeks as the standoff over the Strait of Hormuz continues. Diesel has broken records day after day over the past week at a time of the year when demand and prices usually drop.

The costs are showing no signs of tapering off in the coming days, a trend that couldn’t come at a worse time for the president as the first ballots could be cast. Many states start sending out their mail-in ballots this week.

▪ The Hill Insider : Seven biggest surprises from the primary cycle.

▪ CNBC : Trump-linked super PAC spends $21 million across key races.

Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) and Steve Bannon got the headlines as they teamed up in Washington, D.C., to warn about the potential risks from artificial intelligence. As that was happening, first lady Melania Trump traveled to North Carolina and touted the technology for school children. I asked Randi Weingarten , the president of the American Federation of Teachers, if the first lady has a point about needing to integrate AI in schools to stay competitive.

“We have to actually master the technology, but first things first. We can’t have kids addicted to screens,” Weingarten said . “Kids have to learn. They have to learn relationship building. They have to learn how to think,” she added.

For all the talk about regulations, perhaps being lost in the conversation is how AI should be used in schools. In China, AI is taught in elementary schools. One thing I’ll be asking lawmakers is this: does banning AI in schools help or hurt our kids compete globally later in life?

By the way, here’s your chance to ask your questions to Congress. Have something you want answered? Email me at viewersvoice@newsnationnow.com , and I’ll put your questions to Rep. Mark Harris (R-N.C.) tonight in our Viewer’s Voice segment. I’d love to hear from you.

Burman hosts “The Hill” weeknights, 6 p.m. EDT/5 p.m. CDT on NewsNation.

Pennsylvania reported two new measles-related deaths , bringing the total to four this year. Measles cases in the U.S. are at a 35-year high, and there are more measles-related deaths than in any year since 1992.

Three people were killed after a news helicopter for the NBC affiliate in Los Angeles crashed while covering a fatal bus collision Tuesday evening. Those killed were the pilot, a photojournalist on board and a pedestrian on the ground. Two others were taken to the hospital. The crash is under investigation.

The House Oversight and Government Reform Committee voted unanimously to hold Leon Black, the co-founder of Apollo Global Management, in contempt after he failed to appear for a deposition about his ties to Jeffrey Epstein. Black walked out of a voluntary interview with the panel two months ago and sued the committee this month on the day he was supposed to appear.

Federal Reserve Board Chairman Kevin Warsh speaks at a news conference at the Federal Reserve in Washington, July 29, 2026. (Mark Schiefelbein, Associated Press)

RATE HIKE LIKELY : The Federal Reserve is expected to lift the benchmark interest rate for the first time in three years today, when the central bank announces its decision at 2 p.m., capping off a two-day meeting.

A rate hike is not guaranteed, since Federal Reserve Chair Kevin Warsh does not provide signals, as past chairs have, about future actions the Fed may take. But at a speech in Jackson Hole, Wyo., two weeks ago, Warsh argued the Fed still had work to do to bring inflation down and stabilize prices, stressing the importance of listening to market signals.

Investors have taken his speech, along with the latest economic indicators, as signs that the Fed will move forward with a quarter-point rate hike, putting the target range at 3.75 percent to 4 percent. FedWatch put the chances of a rate hike at 94.5 percent, as of Tuesday afternoon, with a 5.5 percent shot of no change.

The forthcoming decision, less than two months ahead of the midterm elections, would put Warsh at odds with Trump, who backed Warsh for the position with the explicit expectation that he would cut interest rates.

Trump on Sunday reiterated his desire for lower rates, saying, “The United States is so strong we should be paying the lowest interest rate in the world.”

Gas prices and affordability issues have been top of mind for voters, as the war in Iran continues, straining access to global oil supplies.

Meanwhile, inflation has remained stubbornly elevated, at 3.4 percent in August and July and 3.5 percent in June. Before the war, in January and February, inflation was 2.4 percent — much closer to the Fed’s 2 percent target range.

▪ The Hill : Warsh under pressure as Fed considers rate hike.

▪ The Hill : Benchmark bond yield reaches highest level in nearly 20 years.

OPEN OR CLOSED: A federal judge blocked an effort by Trump’s handpicked board at the Kennedy Center to restore the president’s name to the facade of the venue — just as the board voted to close the center’s main building for renovations.

Shortly after the vote, Trump, who is also chair of the board, issued an ultimatum on Truth Social, saying the construction on the building “cannot begin until such time as the D.C. Circuit rules on the Board’s approved name,” referring to the addition of his own name to the performing arts center named for former President John F. Kennedy.

“If the ruling is a negative one, which it should not be, and is not overturned by the U.S. Supreme Court, the Reconstruction and the Renovation of The Kennedy Center will not take place,” Trump wrote.

“The attorneys from the DOJ [Department of Justice] will ask for an expedited appeal, ” he continued. “In the meantime, 17 Million Dollars, raised by President Trump, has been put into The Kennedy Center account to keep it afloat.”

Despite the board’s vote to close the center for renovations, it’s unclear whether the closure will proceed, since a judge issued a preliminary injunction in May barring a previous effort to close the center.

▪ The Hill : Trump disses ‘hostile and conflicted’ judge who blocked renaming.

▪ The Washington Post : Read the text of the proposal to close the center.

DOUBLE DEFECTION : Democratic Reps. Jared Golden (Maine) and Marie Gluesenkamp Perez (Wash.) crossed party lines for the second time Tuesday to advance a key Russia sanctions bill.

The legislation, named for the late Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.), would grant the president the authority to levy tariffs on countries that purchase Russian energy and extend existing sanctions on Iran. Although the measure passed overwhelmingly in the Senate, it has proven contentious in the House, given the new tariff authority it gives to Trump.

The rule vote, which sets up a final vote on a bill, appeared headed for defeat as a few GOP holdouts refused to support it, but Golden and Gluesenkamp Perez provided key support that helped the rule narrowly pass 214-211. This marks the second time this month the two members broke with their party on a rule vote, a highly unusual move that has enraged some colleagues.

The Hill’s Mike Lillis reports frustrations were already trickling out among House Democrats. A special party meeting after the two members defected the first time yielded no disciplinary action, but the latest move is sure to renew the conversation.

▪ The Hill : Crypto bill falls short in early Senate huddle.

▪ The Hill : House passes Iran war powers resolution for third time.

IN THE HOTSEAT : Democrats pressed FBI Director Kash Patel with questions on topics ranging from the FBI’s role in upcoming elections to whether he’s personally benefitted from his role during an at-times contentious hearing Tuesday.

Patel testified before the Senate Judiciary Committee as part of regular oversight. Chief among many Democratic members’ concern was whether Patel would interfere in the midterms if Trump asked him to.

“The FBI will follow the law. If there’s a reason to go there because there’s been a violation of law, we will. Otherwise, we won’t,” Patel said in response to a question from Sen. Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.).

Sen. Peter Welch (D-Vt.) pressed Patel on Trump’s comments that the only way Democrats could win the midterms is if they cheat. Patel responded that the president has the right to express his opinions, a response that didn’t satisfy Welch and other Democrats.

And in a more colorful exchange, GOP Sen. John Kennedy (La.) grilled Patel over a recent FBI policy change ending longtime bans on selecting new trainees who have engaged in prostitution or bestiality. Read more about that exchange here .

▪ The Hill : Takeaways as Senate Dems press Patel on elections, journalist subpoenas.

▪ The Hill : Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent grilled on AI, bond market.

The president will participate in a photo opportunity at 1:30 p.m. and 2 p.m. He will participate in signing time at 3:30 p.m. and then travel to Gastonia, N.C., where he will deliver remarks at 7 p.m. He will return to the White House later at night.

Reps. Al Green (D-Texas) and Thomas Massie (R-Ky.) (Karen Warren and Carolyn Kaster, Associated Press)

IMPEACHMENT BUZZ : Impeachment has featured heavily in the House’s last week of action before the midterms, with Rep. Thomas Massie (R-Ky.) becoming the latest member to introduce articles of impeachment against a member of the Trump administration.

Massie, a frequent Trump critic, on Tuesday introduced eight articles of impeachment against Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth , accusing him of “high crimes and misdemeanors” for the war in Iran, the boat strikes in the Caribbean and the alleged free-speech suppression in his targeting of Democrats who called for service members to refuse illegal orders.

Massie has been open in his disdain for Hegseth and the administration’s involvement in foreign wars, and the secretary campaigned for Massie’s primary challenger earlier this year, helping to unseat the libertarian congressman.

Still, the move marked the first time in recent history that a member of Congress has tried to impeach a Cabinet official of his same party.

The same day, House lawmakers voted on Rep. Al Green ’s (D-Texas) effort to impeach the president, accusing Trump of abuse of power for his immigration crackdown that led to several civilian deaths earlier in the year.

The effort failed in a vote of 232-147, with 18 Democrats voting to table the resolution and 47 lawmakers voting “present,” including the top Democratic leaders.

Democrats were taken aback by the impeachment push, since the party has tried to be laser-focused on cost-of-living and affordability issues ahead of the midterms. Democratic leaders issued a statement noting the resolution was brought to the floor without any formal investigation or broader examination into the charges.

“None of that serious work has been done, with the Republican majority focused solely on rubber stamping Donald Trump’s extreme agenda,” the leaders wrote in a joint statement.

But House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.) left the door to impeachment open should the Democrats retake the majority after the upcoming midterm elections.

“We haven’t ruled anything in and we haven’t ruled anything out in terms of impeachment,” Jeffries told George Stephanopoulos Sunday on ABC’s “This Week,” when asked whether impeachment of the president would be a day-one priority for House Democrats.

▪ CNN : Massie’s surprise push overshadows Green.

Yemeni soldiers listen to their commander, right, in Dhubab, near the strategic Bab el-Mandeb Strait, Yemen, April 5, 2026. (Abdulnasser Alseddik, Associated Press)

ISLAND ACCUMULATION : The Houthi rebels in Yemen have been gradually gaining more territory by the Red Sea, potentially increasing the chances of another struggle over control of a key waterway.

The rebels recently seized the islands of Greater and Lesser Hanish in the southern Red Sea, increasing their leverage around the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, which is a key alternative shipping lane to the Strait of Hormuz. The waterway goes between the tip of Yemen on the Arabian Peninsula and Djibouti and Eritrea in Africa.

The strait has emerged as even more important of a passageway since Iran closed the Strait of Hormuz to commercial shipping at the start of the war. Saudi Arabia has used Bab el-Mandeb for crude oil exports.

But the Iran-backed Houthis’ seizure of the two islands will increase pressure on Saudi Arabia and could give Iran additional leverage in its war with the U.S. The Houthis previously seized the Red Sea port of Mokha and another strategic island.

Trump has taken a notably hands-off approach to attacks from the rebels as they secure a Red Sea chokepoint. The U.S. has sent advisers to support Saudi Arabia, but Trump reportedly refused a Saudi request to launch strikes on the Houthis.

The approach marks a contrast to the early days of the Iran war, when Trump ordered strikes on the Houthis in response to attacks on vessels in the Red Sea launched from Yemen.

▪ The Hill : Iran war likely to drive up inflation next year, budget report says.

▪ Axios : U.S., Israeli, Arab military chiefs held secret meeting on Iran.

AI’s architects made a choice. Now they’re calling it fate , Lisa H. Sideris writes in The Hill.

Republicans kept their promise: America’s border is secure again , Rep. Lauren Boebert (R-Colo.) writes in The Hill.

Former First Lady of the United States, Michelle Obama, is in attendance during the women’s singles semifinals of the U.S. Open tennis tournament, Sept. 10, 2026, in New York. (Vera Nieuwenhuis, Associated Press)

And finally … Former first lady Michelle Obama ‘s voter registration and engagement initiative is targeting Generation Z through a “Voting Squad” made up of influencers .

The group, described as a “nonpartisan network of content creators,” will use “authentic voices, styles and platforms” to share relevant information with young voters. That includes key dates and deadlines in their states, how the issues they care about are on the ballot and fact-checked voter resources.

“At a time when lack of accurate information is one of the main barriers preventing Gen Z from voting, the Voting Squad will serve as trusted messengers to reach and resonate with young voters ahead of the 2026 midterm elections,” the organization said in an announcement coinciding with National Voter Registration Day on Tuesday.

Obama launched When We All Vote in 2018 to improve civic engagement and voter turnout in elections.