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Ilhan Omar won her primary after fellow ‘Squad’ members Cori Bush, Jamaal Bowman lost. Here’s why.

Published

2 years ago

August 14, 2024

Ilhan Omar won her primary after fellow ‘Squad’ members Cori Bush, Jamaal Bowman lost. Here’s why.

WASHINGTON – Rep. Ilhan Omar, D-Minn., beat back a primary challenger Tuesday in a closely watched race after two of her progressive colleagues lost their own primary bids earlier this year in the face of massive spending from pro-Israel groups.

The Minnesota lawmaker’s victory came after Reps. Jamaal Bowman, D-N.Y., and Cori Bush, D-Mo., all members of the informal group of House lawmakers known as the “Squad,” were booted by more moderate Democrats. Each have been vocal critics of Israel’s actions in Gaza as the Israel-Hamas war rages on, but Omar still entered Tuesday’s race on firmer footing than her fellow lawmakers.

One major factor: United Democracy Project, a super PAC with close ties to the American Israel Public Affairs Committee, invested almost $24 million against Bush and Bowman, helping make them the only House Democrats to lose their 2024 primary elections so far.

Israel and the war in Gaza has defined race after race this year as the Democratic Party splits over how to address the conflict. The war has created a rift on the left, as Congress’ progressive members push the Biden administration and other Democratic leaders to come out more forcefully against the bombing campaign in the Gaza strip.

Omar has long voiced concerns over Israel’s policy, being one of the first lawmakers to publicly call for a cease-fire. She also faced significant backlash in April after she suggested while visiting protesters on Columbia University’s campus that some Jewish students supported “genocide.”

But the United Democracy Project didn’t invest in Omar’s race, a shift from her 2022 primary bid.

Back then, former Minneapolis City Council Member Don Samuels, who Omar again faced on Tuesday, lost by just over 2,400 votes. The United Democracy Project spent $350,000 in the days leading up to that election to boost Samuels.

But this year, Omar was on significantly different ground. Police reform dominated her last reelection in the wake of the murder of George Floyd in her home state. Omar was one of the most outspoken lawmakers and didn’t shy away from calling for police reform.

That debate has largely fallen to the wayside this election cycle though, and Omar enjoyed a significant fundraising advantage over Samuels. She also ran a much more active campaign this time around.

“In the last primary, it wasn’t close because we don’t have the support of the people that we represent,” Omar said last week at a rally in Minneapolis. “It was close because we did not remind every single person that there was a primary and they needed to get out and vote.”

But it wasn’t just debates over the Israel-Hamas war that set Omar’s election apart from her fellow “Squad” members this year. She also didn’t have the political baggage that came with Bowman and Bush. While the ousted pair’s vocal criticisms of Israel garnered nationwide attention, they each had their own scandals that dogged their campaigns.

Bowman infamously pulled a fire alarm in the Capitol complex last year during a high-stakes vote to avert a government shutdown. During the vote, Bowman could be seen on security camera footage removing warning signs for a door alarm and then proceeding to pull the alarm.

The New York Democrat claimed it was a mistake and pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor charge for “willfully” or knowingly” triggering the alarm. The Republican-controlled House (on a mostly party-line vote) censured him after the incident.

Bush is currently under federal investigation over using her campaign funds for security services. She said she hired her husband as part of her security detail in the face of threats to her personal safety since becoming a lawmaker, but she has maintained she has not used federal funds for her own security.

The combination of Bowman and Bush’s scandals paired with millions of dollars from pro-Israel groups made their primary contests among the fiercest in the country. United Democracy Project spent $14.5 million against Bowman leading up to his election, which became the most expensive House primary in history. The group also invested over $9 million in Bush’s race.

The two laid blame at AIPAC for their losses and called out the staggering sums of campaign spending against them in their concession speeches.

“We should be outraged when a super PAC of dark money can spend $20 million to brainwash people into believing something that isn’t true,” Bowman said in June right after he was projected to lose his primary.

Bush was much more upfront in her speech, telling her supporters earlier in August after she lost her race: “AIPAC, I’m coming to tear your kingdom down.”

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Satellite images provide view inside Iran at war

Published

10 hours ago

March 1, 2026

Press Room

Satellite images provide view inside Iran at war

Smoke rises over Konarak naval base in southern Iran on Sunday. The base was one of hundreds of targets of U.S. and Israeli forces throughout the country.

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Commercial satellite images are providing a unique look at the extent of damage being done to Iran’s military facilities across the country.

The U.S. and Israeli military campaign opened with a daytime attack that struck Iranian leadership in central Tehran. Smoke was still visible rising from Ayatollah Ali Khamenei’s compound following the attack that killed the supreme leader.

An image by the company Airbus taken on Saturday shows the aftermath of an Israeli strike on Iran’s Leadership House in central Tehran. Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei was killed in the opening wave of attacks.

Pléiades Neo (c) Airbus DS 2026

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Pléiades Neo (c) Airbus DS 2026

Israel and the U.S. have gone on to strike targets across the country. Reports on social media indicate that there have been numerous military bases and compounds attacked all over Iran, and Iran has responded with attacks throughout the Middle East.

U.S. forces have also been striking at Iran’s navy. In a post on his social media platform, President Trump said that he had been briefed that U.S. forces had sunk nine Iranian naval vessels. U.S. Central Command did not immediately confirm that number but it did say it had struck an Iranian warship in port.

An image captured on February 28 shows a ship burning at Iran's naval base at Konarak.

An image captured on Saturday shows a ship burning at Iran’s naval base at Konarak.

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Numerous satellite images show burning vessels at Konarak naval base in southern Iran. Images also show damage to a nearby airbase where hardened hangers were struck by precision munitions.

Hardened aircraft shelters at Konarak airbase were struck with precision munitions.

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And there was extensive damage at a drone base in the same area. Iran has launched numerous drones and missiles toward Israel and U.S. military installations in Bahrain, Kuwait and Qatar. Many drones have been intercepted but videos on social media show that some have evaded air defenses and caused damage in nearby Gulf countries. In Dubai, debris from an Iranian drone damaged the iconic Burj Al Arab, according to a statement from Dubai’s government.

Buildings at an Iranian drone base at Konarak were destroyed in the strikes.

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Iran’s most powerful weapons are its long-range missiles. The Iranian Revolutionary Guards have hidden the missiles deep inside mountain tunnels. Images taken Sunday in the mountains of northern Iran indicate that some of those tunnels were hit in a wave of strikes.

Following Khamenei’s death, Iran declared 40 days of mourning. Satellite images showed mourners gathering in Tehran’s Enghelab square on Sunday.

Iranian Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Esmail Baghaei told NPR on Sunday that Iran will continue to fight “foreign aggression, foreign domination.”

A White House official told NPR that Trump plans to talk to Iran’s interim leadership “eventually,” but that for now, U.S. operations continue in the region “unabated.”

A large crowd of mourners fill Enghelab Square in Tehran on Sunday, following the death of Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who was killed in an Israeli airstrike.

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Video: What the Texas Primary Battle Means for the Midterms

Published

19 hours ago

March 1, 2026

Press Room

Video: What the Texas Primary Battle Means for the Midterms

new video loaded: What the Texas Primary Battle Means for the Midterms

The first battle of the midterm elections will be the U.S. Senate primary in Texas. Our Texas bureau chief, David Goodman, explains why Democrats and Republicans across the U.S. are watching closely to see what happens in the state.

By J. David Goodman, Alexandra Ostasiewicz, June Kim and Luke Piotrowski

March 1, 2026

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Mass shooting at Austin, Texas bar leaves at least 3 dead, 14 wounded, authorities say

Published

22 hours ago

March 1, 2026

Press Room

Mass shooting at Austin, Texas bar leaves at least 3 dead, 14 wounded, authorities say

Gunfire rang out at a bar in Austin, Texas, early Sunday and at least three people were killed, the city’s police chief said.

Austin Police Chief Lisa Davis told reporters the shooter was killed by officers at the scene.

Fourteen others were hospitalized and three were in critical condition, Austin-Travis County EMS Chief Robert Luckritz said.

“We received a call at 1:39 a.m. and within 57 seconds, the first paramedics and officers were on scene actively treating the patients,” Luckritz said.

There was no initial word on the shooter’s identity or motive.

An Austin police officer guards the scene on West 6th Street at West Avenue after a shooting on Sunday, March 1, 2026, in Austin, Texas.

Jay Janner/Austin American-Statesman via AP

Davis noted how fortunate it was that there was a heavy police presence in Austin’s entertainment district at the time, enabling officers to respond quickly as bars were closing.

“Officers immediately transitioned … and were faced with the individual with a gun,” Davis said. “Three of our officers returned fire, killing the suspect.”

She called the shooting a “tragic, tragic” incident.