Traci Mumford

In Texas today, voters are heading to the polls for a highly competitive and very bitter runoff race that has divided the state's Republicans.

On one side is Senator John Cornyn, who has held his seat for more than two decades.

But he's now fighting for his political life against Ken Paxton, Texas's controversial attorney general.

Paxton has faced one scandal after another, accused of adultery, indicted for fraud, impeached over allegations of bribery.

But he's positioned himself as the MAGA candidate.

And so far, it's paid off.

The president endorsed Paxton last week, calling him a great candidate.

And if Paxton beats Cornyn today, that will be the second sitting Republican senator Trump has helped unseat this term in favor of his own preferred choice.

A win for Paxton, though, has the potential to hurt Republicans' chances in November.

With all of Paxton's baggage, voters might stay home or even shift toward the Democratic candidate James Tallarico.

No Democrat has won statewide office in Texas in decades, but Tallarico has gained national attention and brought in a record amount of money.

There are a number of other key contests in Texas today, too, including Democratic runoffs for congressional seats in Houston and Dallas.

You can follow the live results tonight at NYTimes.com.

At the Vatican yesterday.

The Pope urged the world to be careful with AI, warning that efforts are needed to safeguard humanity from the technology's most disruptive effects.

Pope Leo made the statements to mark the release of his first encyclical, which is basically an open letter popes put out to speak about major moral or social challenges.

In the past, popes have written them about war, about inequality.

Leo took on AI.

He called for, among other things, protection for workers whose jobs could be lost to AI, education to help students think critically about the technology, as well as action to protect kids from the torrent of violent, sexualized, and fake information that AI can generate.

and he called for safeguards on how AI is used in war.