Key Takeaways From This Week’s Primaries, and the Deportees Stuck in ‘No Man’s Land’
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What were the key takeaways from the recent Democratic primary battles in the Midwest?
From The New York Times, it's The Headlines. I'm Tracy Mumford. Today's Wednesday, August 12th. Here's what we're covering. Last night was a very busy night for primary results as votes came in in dozens of races across six states, setting up some of the final matchups for the midterms. A few key takeaways. For Democrats, this primary season has been defined by battles between its progressive and moderate wings. And that played out again last night in Minnesota.
For months now, I have been telling you that this campaign was about the many versus the money. Well, guess what? The many just won.
Lieutenant Governor Peggy Flanagan, a progressive, won the state's Democratic Senate primary, despite being heavily outspent by the centrist moderate candidate. Flanagan was backed by left-wing leaders like Bernie Sanders and Elizabeth Warren, whereas Democratic establishment figures like Hakeem Jeffries and Nancy Pelosi backed her competitor. It was the latest progressive versus moderate showdown in the Midwest just this month, after Dr. Abdul El-Sayed rallied the party's left flank to win Michigan's Democratic Senate primary. Meanwhile, in Wisconsin last night, the Democratic primary for governor came down to a nail-biting finish between a moderate and a Democratic socialist. David Crowley, a county executive who was embraced by the more centrist Democratic establishment, ultimately won, but the very close margin showed how much power progressives were able to leverage in a key swing state.
Switching tracks now to the Republican Party.
I've been accused of not being a politician. Guilty as charged.
In South Carolina last night, Darlene Graham, the sister of the late Senator Lindsey Graham, advanced to a Republican primary runoff.
How did the Republican primary in South Carolina test President Trump’s influence on the GOP?
The race will be a test of President Trump's hold on the GOP. Trump pushed for her to take her brother's seat after he died suddenly last month, and the president has urged Republicans to back her in November. For the full results of last night's primaries, go to NYTimes.com.
Why
don't you just introduce yourself to me? Who are you, Roberto?
Well, I'm Roberto Mosquera de Peral. I came from Cuba to the United States back in 1980. After 47 years, last year, I got arrested by ICE. They locked me up and sent me to Africa.
Where are you exactly?
Right now, I'm in Swatili, Swatili, Africa.
My colleague Nicholas Casey has been reporting on the growing number of people the Trump administration has deported to countries they have no connection to. For more than a year, it's been offering millions of dollars to foreign governments to take immigrants the U.S. was having trouble deporting to their countries of origin. And it has struck at least 35 of these kinds of deals, known as third country agreements.
Roberto, could you show me around where you are right now?
Sure. This is my cell. That's my roommate. He's asleep, but I'm going to wake him up.
Who is Roberto Mosquera de Peral and why is his deportation story significant?
One of the people Nicholas has interviewed is Roberto Macera. He arrived in the U.S. from Cuba as a child. He ended up joining a gang in Miami as a teenager and eventually took a plea deal after being charged with attempted murder for a shooting. Authorities wanted to deport him, but Cuba wasn't cooperating with the U.S. So for decades, Moqueira was allowed to stay. He became a plumber, got married, had four daughters. Then last June, the 59-year-old was arrested by immigration agents and flown across the world to a maximum security prison in the kingdom of Eswatini, one of the countries the U.S. has made an agreement with.
You know, I changed my way. I had a job, go to work, take care of my kids, pay bills. And they just took my life, man, you know?
Now he's been stuck there for more than a year, alongside other deportees from the U.S., in what his lawyer calls a legal black hole. There are no charges against him, no way to appeal his imprisonment, and no sign that he will ever be freed. He wasn't even allowed to collect his passport or other ID before being deported.
How do you feel about that? I mean, how do you feel about this situation that you're in where you don't know if you're going to get out of this place?
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Chapters
6 chapters
1
What were the key takeaways from the recent Democratic primary battles in the Midwest?
0:02–2:05
2
How did the Republican primary in South Carolina test President Trump’s influence on the GOP?
2:05–3:25
3
Who is Roberto Mosquera de Peral and why is his deportation story significant?
3:25–4:45
4
What are the legal and humanitarian issues behind U.S. third‑country deportation agreements?
4:45–6:37
5
How are new blood tests for Alzheimer’s causing confusion and distress for patients?
6:37–8:52
6
Why is the total solar eclipse across Europe and Iceland generating ‘eclipse fever’?
8:52–9:40
Speakers
1 identifiedMore from The Headlines
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