Primary Results, DOJ Scraps Anti-Weaponization Fund, Trump Appoints Acting DNI
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What is the main topic discussed in this episode?
Voters in six states picked their midterm candidates.
What were the primary results of the recent Iowa gubernatorial primary?
Iowa Republicans rejected President Trump's choice for governor, and Democrats chose a more moderate candidate to try and flip the state's Senate seat. We run down the results from Iowa and across the country.
I'm Leila Faudel, that's A. Martinez, and this is Up First from NPR News. Acting Attorney General Todd Blanch told Congress the Justice Department is scrapping President Trump's anti-weaponization fund.
Why did the DOJ decide to scrap the anti-weaponization fund?
We are not moving forward with the fund.
Not moving forward ever.
Correct.
Oh.
What implications does the DOJ's decision have for Trump and his family?
But the part of the deal that shields Trump and his family from IRS investigations still stands.
Who is Bill Pulte and what is his new role as acting DNI?
And President Trump named a new acting director of national intelligence to replace Tulsi Gabbard. Bill Pulte spent his career in housing with no intelligence experience.
What qualifications does Bill Pulte bring to the role of Director of National Intelligence?
Even some Republicans are skeptical.
How have Senate Republicans reacted to Pulte's appointment?
Stay with us.
What are the potential impacts of the Iowa primary results on the upcoming November elections?
We've got the news you need to start your day.
Brazil used to have one of the fastest growing economies in the world. People called it the country of the future.
There are songs. O Brasil é o país do futuro. Because it seems like we have it all, man.
But then the music stopped. On the Planet Money podcast, a lot of countries these days aren't rich. They aren't poor. They're just kind of stuck in the middle. Why is that? Listen on the NPR app or wherever you get your podcasts.
Another round of primaries offer a glimpse into the midterm landscape.
Last night, President Trump's pick for governor of Iowa lost his race. The loss is a blow for Trump, who has seen almost all of his chosen candidates this cycle sail to victory or advance to runoff elections. Democratic voters chose candidates they hope give them the best shot at flipping congressional seats in November.
NPR political reporter Stephen Fowler has been watching all the primaries for us. He's here with some pretty important takeaways. So let's start with Iowa, a state with a number of competitive races in November. What do the matchups look like?
Well, Democrats chose their nominee for U.S. Senate. Republicans chose their pick for governor. Three of the four House races are indeed viewed as the few competitive races in November. For Senate, the nominee is State House Representative Josh Turek. He's a Paralympian who holds a seat that voted for Trump and argued that his background and campaign strategy is the best way for Democrats to win in a red state. Primary voters agreed, picking him over a progressive state senator by a two-to-one margin. Turek now faces Republican Congresswoman Ashley Henson, who had a nominal challenger in her race. What about Iowa's governor's race? Rob Sand is the Democratic nominee. He ran unopposed and is the only statewide Democratic elected official.
While Trump endorsed Republican Congressman Randy Feenstra, ultimately, the Associated Press called the race for businessman Zach Lane and a narrow victory that also allowed Iowa Republican voters to signal displeasure with the president. That race starts out as a true toss up for November.
All right. Now, Montana, another red state where Democrats are hopeful they could capitalize on Trump's unpopularity.
Montana's 1st District is an open race where Democrats see a shot in this particular political environment where Trump has lost a little bit of support from Republicans and a lot of it from basically everyone else. The Senate race is another interesting one there. That's because of a candidate who wasn't on the ballot yesterday. Independent Seth Bodnar outraised the Trump-backed U.S. attorney and all of the Democratic candidates in another race worth watching.
All right, so I'm in California. It takes a little while to count all the votes here, thanks to the state's mail-in voting laws. Anything, though, that we do know based on what's been tallied so far?
Well, as you also know, in California, the top two advance to the general election, regardless of party. So for the governor's race, we do know that almost all of the 60 candidates on the ballot won't make that short list. Sorry, Barack D. Obama, Shaw, and living for God and country, DeMott.
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Chapters
8 chapters
1
What is the main topic discussed in this episode?
0:02–0:06
2
What were the primary results of the recent Iowa gubernatorial primary?
0:06–0:30
3
Why did the DOJ decide to scrap the anti-weaponization fund?
0:30–0:34
4
What implications does the DOJ's decision have for Trump and his family?
0:34–0:40
5
Who is Bill Pulte and what is his new role as acting DNI?
0:40–0:50
6
What qualifications does Bill Pulte bring to the role of Director of National Intelligence?
0:50–0:52
7
How have Senate Republicans reacted to Pulte's appointment?
0:52–0:52
8
What are the potential impacts of the Iowa primary results on the upcoming November elections?
0:52–13:48
Speakers
7 identifiedMore from Up First from NPR
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