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Ohio Senate primary stakes and Princess Kate spotted in new video: Morning Rundown

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Ohio Senate primary stakes and Princess Kate spotted in new video: Morning Rundown

A heated Senate GOP primary in Ohio will be a referendum on Donald Trump. New research suggests an intermittent fasting diet could be risky. And Princess Kate is spotted out and about after weeks of online speculation about her health.

Here’s what to know today.

The Senate race that’s also a referendum on Trump

Donald Trump greets Ohio Republican candidate for U.S. Senate Bernie Moreno.Scott Olson / Getty Images

Bernie Moreno and Matt Dolan are leading the pack in today’s Ohio Senate Republican primary, and while Gov. Mike DeWine says the race is only about who will represent the state, it is widely seen as a referendum on former President Donald Trump.

Moreno, a wealthy businessman, heads into today’s race with support from Trump and his allies, who warn a vote for Dolan is a vote against the MAGA movement. The days leading up to the race have been full of attacks as Trump, Arizona Senate candidate Kari Lake and Sen. JD Vance of Ohio barnstormed the state to campaign for Moreno. 

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Dolan, whose family owns the Major League Baseball franchise in Cleveland, enjoys the support of DeWine and has painted himself as a champion of Trump policies but with a much milder personality than the former president.

The primary sets up a face-off in November against Democratic Sen. Sherrod Brown that many see as a toss-up. 

Reporters Henry J. Gomez and Emma Barnett recap the campaigns’ road to the primary. Read the full story here.

More 2024 elections coverage: 

  • Other elections today in Ohio and Illinois will set the stage for pivotal House battleground races this fall. Here are four dynamics to watch.

Supreme Court keeps blocking Texas immigration law

The Supreme Court extended a temporary block on a new Texas immigration law indefinitely, giving justices more time to determine the next steps to take. The Biden administration is challenging the law known as SB4, which would allow police to arrest migrants who illegally cross the border from Mexico and impose criminal penalties. The law was originally due to go into effect this month, but Justice Samuel Alito has now stepped in three times to ensure a lower court ruling remains on hold

On Monday, the Supreme Court also rejected a bid by former Trump adviser Peter Navarro to avoid reporting to prison (which he’s expected to do today) to serve a four-month sentence for defying a congressional subpoena.

Justices also rejected an appeal by “Cowboys for Trump” co-founder Cody Griffin, who lost his job as a county commissioner in New Mexico over his role in the Jan. 6 riot. Griffin’s case concerned the same constitutional provision that Trump successfully argued in a separate case could not be used to throw him off the ballot in Colorado. 

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In Haiti, stranded Americans evacuated and power stations attacked

At least 13 people were evacuated from Haiti over the weekend as security concerns mount and the shutdown of the country’s primary airport leave foreigners stranded, Rep. Cory Mills of Florida confirmed yesterday. Among them was Miriam Cinotti, a missionary who had been in Haiti for 14 years. She said she spent the past three weeks stranded in a remote village and described the challenges of coordinating her own evacuation.

In Port-au-Prince, armed groups broke into four electrical substations and left them “completely dysfunctional” by taking electrical installations, batteries, computer and office equipment and important documents, the country’s power company said. Now, several areas in and around the city are without power, including the entrance to the U.S. embassy.

Research suggests perils of intermittent fasting

Intermittent fasting, a diet that involves alternating between fasting and eating, might not be as good for heart health as previously thought, according to a new analysis. Research presented this week at the American Heart Association’s scientific sessions found that people who restricted food consumption to less than eight hours per day had a 91% higher risk of dying from cardiovascular disease over a period of eight years, relative to people who ate across 12 to 16 hours. 

It’s too early to make specific recommendations about intermittent fasting based on this research alone, a co-author said, which hasn’t been peer-reviewed or published in an academic journal. Also, some experts said they found the analysis too narrow.

New video released as search for Riley Strain continues

Riley Strain
Chris and Michelle Whiteid

Nashville police have released a new video showing Riley Strain on the night he disappeared, revealing new information about his movements as the search for the 22-year-old continues. The video shows Strain walking briskly past an officer on the night of March 8. The officer asks Strain how he’s doing, to which Strain replies, “I’m good, how are you?” 

Meanwhile, Strain’s stepfather, Chris Whiteid, said yesterday that Strain had gone to two more bars on the same night before he was kicked out of a third. Whiteid also heard Strain and his mother FaceTiming that night and said Strain didn’t sound like he’d been drinking a lot. 

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Strain had been visiting Nashville with friends from his college fraternity and went missing after he was kicked out of a bar in the city’s downtown. His bank card was found last weekend, and police say no evidence of foul play has surfaced. Read the full story here.

Politics in Brief 

Government funding: Congressional leaders struck a deal on funding for the Department of Homeland Security — the last big sticking point among negotiators— paving the way for lawmakers to avert a government shutdown this weekend, two sources familiar with the talks said.

Israel-Hamas war: President Joe Biden warned Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu against Israel’s planned military operation in Rafah, where more than a million people have taken refuge.

Trump cases: New York state Judge Juan Merchan denied Donald Trump’s bid to keep his former lawyer Michael Cohen and adult film star Stormy Daniels from testifying in the former president’s criminal trial related to a 2016 hush money payment. Also, Trump’s lawyers said in a new court filing that he has not been able to get a bond to secure the $464 million civil fraud judgment against him and his co-defendants. And in Georgia, lawyers for Trump and seven of his co-defendants in the election interference case are seeking a review of the decision not to disqualify Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis.

Biden impeachment inquiry: Devon Archer, a key witness in the Republican impeachment inquiry into President Joe Biden and a former business associate of Hunter Biden, declined an invitation to appear this week at a public hearing.

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Social Security and Medicare: Donald Trump hasn’t said how he would address looming shortfalls over two major retirement programs. So what are his plans for Social Security and Medicare? An NBC News examination found his views have zigzagged over the years

2024 election: Deep-pocketed centrist group No Labels is still working to find its dream third-party presidential ticket for 2024, but it has been spurned by at least a dozen prominent figures, including Sen. Joe Manchin, Sen. Kyrsten Sinema and former Rep. Liz Cheney.

Want more politics news? Sign up for From the Politics Desk to get exclusive reporting and analysis delivered to your inbox every weekday evening. Subscribe here.

Staff Pick: In the room with a victorious Putin

Vladimir Putin at his campaign headquarters in Moscow
Natalia Kolesnikova / AFP – Getty Images

Putin’s election win was anything but surprising – but our team’s account of their experience in the room with the victorious president and across a celebratory Moscow reveals some unusual details, including a woman who says she repurposed a diamond Chanel brooch into a symbol of support for the war in Ukraine.

— Annie Hill, platforms editor

In Case You Missed It

  • Princess Kate was reportedly seen shopping over the weekend following weeks of rampant speculation online about her health.
  • This year’s Ruth Bader Ginsburg Leadership Award gala was canceled after objections from the late justice’s family over this year’s winners, which include Elon Musk and Rupert Murdoch.
  • James Crumbley, the father of Michigan school shooter Ethan Crumbley, said in jailhouse phone calls that he wanted to destroy the prosecutor in case against him.
  • Medication abortions rose in the year after the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade, according to a new study, accounting for about 63% of abortions in 2023.
  • Chicago has begun evicting some migrants from its shelters.
  • The father of Laken Riley, the Georgia nursing student who was killed while jogging, said in an exclusive interview that he fears her death is being exploited as a “political wedge.”

Select: Online Shopping, Simplified

Flat irons don’t just smooth your hair. You can also use them to create curls, which minimizes your need for extra hair tools, especially if you’re traveling. Here are the 14 best flat irons.

Sign up to The Selection newsletter for exclusive reviews and shopping content from NBC Select.

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Senate Adopts GOP Budget, Laying the Groundwork to Fund ICE and Reopen DHS

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Senate Adopts GOP Budget, Laying the Groundwork to Fund ICE and Reopen DHS

The Senate early Thursday morning adopted a Republican budget blueprint that would pave the way for a $70 billion increase for immigration enforcement and the eventual reopening of the Department of Homeland Security.

Republicans pushed through the plan on a nearly party-line vote of 50 to 48. It came after an overnight marathon of rapid-fire votes, known as a vote-a-rama, in which the G.O.P. beat back a series of Democratic proposals aimed at addressing the high cost of health care, housing, food and energy. The debate put the two parties’ dueling messages on vivid display six months before the midterm elections.

Republicans, who are using the budget plan to lay the groundwork to eventually push through a filibuster-proof bill providing a multiyear funding stream for President Trump’s immigration crackdown, used the all-night session to highlight their hard-line stance on border security, seeking to portray Democrats as unwilling to safeguard the country.

Democrats tried and failed to add a series of changes aimed at addressing cost-of-living issues, seizing the opportunity to hammer Republicans as out of touch with and unwilling to act on the concerns of everyday Americans.

Here’s what to know about the budget plan and the nocturnal ritual senators engaged in before adopting it.

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The budget blueprint is a crucial piece of Republicans’ plan to fund the Department of Homeland Security and end a shutdown that has lasted for more than two months. After Democrats refused to fund immigration enforcement without new restrictions on agents’ tactics and conduct, the G.O.P. struck a deal with them to pass a spending bill that would fund everything but ICE and the Border Patrol. Republicans said they would fund those agencies through a special budget bill that Democrats could not block.

“We can fix this with Republican votes, and we will,” said Senator Lindsey Graham, Republican of South Carolina and the Budget Committee chairman. “Every Democrat has opposed money for the Border Patrol and ICE at a time of great peril.”

In resorting to a new budget blueprint, Republicans laid the groundwork to deny Democrats a chance to stop the immigration enforcement funding. But they also submitted themselves to a vote-a-rama, in which any senator can propose unlimited changes to such a measure before it is adopted.

The budget measure now goes to the House, which must adopt it before lawmakers in both chambers can draft the legislation funding immigration enforcement. That bill will provide yet another opportunity for a vote-a-rama even closer to the November election.

Democrats took to the floor to criticize Republicans for supercharging funding for federal immigration enforcement rather than moving legislation that would address Americans’ concerns over affordability.

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“This is what Republicans are fighting for,” said Senator Chuck Schumer, Democrat of New York and the Democratic leader. “To maintain two unchecked rogue agencies that are dreaded in all corners of this country instead of reducing your health care costs, your housing costs, your grocery costs, your gas costs.”

Democrats offered a host of amendments along those lines, all of which were defeated by Republicans — and that was the point. The proposals were meant to put the G.O.P. in a tough political spot, showcasing their opposition to helping Americans afford high living costs. Fewer than a handful of G.O.P. senators crossed party lines to support them.

The G.O.P. thwarted an effort by Mr. Schumer to require that the budget measure lower out-of-pocket health care costs for Americans. Two Republicans who are up for re-election this year, Senators Susan Collins of Maine and Dan Sullivan of Alaska, voted with Democrats, but the proposal was still defeated.

Republicans also squelched a move by Senator Ben Ray Lujan, Democrat of New Mexico, to create a fund that would lower grocery costs and reverse cuts to food aid programs that Republicans enacted last year. Ms. Collins and Mr. Sullivan again joined Democrats.

Also defeated by the G.O.P.: a proposal by Senator John Hickenlooper, Democrat of Colorado, to address rising consumer prices brought on by Mr. Trump’s tariffs and the war in Iran; one by Senator Edward J. Markey, Democrat of Massachusetts, to require the budget measure to address rising electricity prices, and another by Mr. Markey to create a fund to bring down housing costs.

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Senator Jon Ossoff, a Democrat who is up for re-election in Georgia, also sought to add language requiring the budget plan to address health insurance companies denying or delaying access to care, but that, too was blocked by Republicans.

While Republicans had fewer proposals for changes to their own budget plan, they also sought to offer measures that would underscore their aggressive stance on immigration enforcement and dare Democrats to vote against them.

Mr. Graham offered an amendment to allocate funds toward a deficit-neutral reserve fund relating to the apprehension and deportation of adult immigrants convicted of rape, murder, or sexual abuse of a minor after illegally entering the United States. It passed unanimously.

Senator Josh Hawley, Republican of Missouri, sought to bar Medicaid payments to Planned Parenthood, which provides abortion and other services, and criticized the organization for providing transgender care to minors. Senator John Kennedy, Republican of Louisiana, also attempted to tack on the G.O.P. voter identification bill, known as the SAVE America Act. Both proposals were blocked when Democrats, joined by a few Republicans, voted to strike them as unrelated to the budget plan.

The Republicans who crossed party lines to oppose their own party’s proposals for new voting requirements were Ms. Collins along with Senators Mitch McConnell of Kentucky, Lisa Murkowski of Alaska and Thom Tillis of North Carolina.

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Ms. Collins and Ms. Murkowski also opposed the effort to block payments to Planned Parenthood.

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Who is John Phelan, the US Navy Secretary fired by Pete Hegseth?

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Who is John Phelan, the US Navy Secretary fired by Pete Hegseth?

The firing of US Navy Secretary John Phelan is the latest in a shakeup of the American military during the war on Iran, now in its eighth week.

The Pentagon said Phelan would leave office immediately.

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“On behalf of the Secretary of War and Deputy Secretary of War, we are grateful to Secretary Phelan for his service to the Department and the United States Navy,” said chief Pentagon spokesperson Sean Parnell. “We wish him well in his future endeavours”.

His firing comes at a critical moment, with US naval forces enforcing a blockade on Iranian ports and ships, and maintaining a heavy presence around the Strait of Hormuz, through which 20 percent of the world’s oil and gas passes during peacetime.

Although the Pentagon gave no official reason for the dismissal, reports indicate the decision was linked to internal disputes, including tensions with Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth.

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Phelan’s removal is part of a broader pattern of dismissals and restructuring within the US military under President Donald Trump’s administration – including during the current war.

So, who is John Phelan, and what impact could his firing have on US military strategy?

Who is John Phelan?

As the US Navy’s top civilian official, Phelan had various responsibilities, including overseeing recruiting, mobilising and organising, as well as construction and repair of ships and military equipment.

He was appointed in 2024 as a political ally of Trump, despite having no prior military or defence leadership experience.

Before entering government, Phelan was a businessman and investment executive, as well as a major Republican donor and fundraiser — a background that is fairly common among Trump appointees and advisers. The US president’s two top diplomatic negotiators, for instance, are Steve Witkoff — a real estate businessman with no prior diplomatic experience – and Trump’s son-in-law, Jared Kushner.

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According to the Reuters news agency, Phelan’s tenure quickly became controversial. He faced criticism for moving too slowly on shipbuilding reforms and for strained relationships with key Pentagon figures, including Hegseth and his deputy, Steve Feinberg.

rump with U.S. Marine Corps Lieutenant General Michael Borgschulte and Secretary of the Navy John Phelan (R) before the game between the Navy Midshipmen and the Army West Point Black Knights at M&T Bank Stadium [File: Tommy Gilligan/Imagn Images/Reuters]

In addition, Phelan was reportedly under an ethics investigation, which may have weakened his standing in the administration.

Navy Undersecretary Hung Cao, who was also reported to have a difficult relationship with Phelan, has become acting secretary. Fifty-four-year-old Cao is a 25-year Navy veteran who previously ran as a Republican candidate for the US Senate and House of Representatives in 2022 and 2024 respectively, but was unsuccessful on both occasions.

Democrats have criticised Phelan’s removal, calling it “troubling”.

“I am concerned it is yet another example of the instability and dysfunction that have come to define the Department of Defense under President Trump and Secretary Hegseth,” said Senator Jack Reed, the top Democrat on the Senate Armed Services Committee.

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Who else has the Trump administration fired since the war with Iran began?

Phelan’s removal is the latest in a series of senior military leaders being fired or are leaving during the US-Israeli war on Iran, in addition to others since Trump was re-elected.

Among the most notable dismissals was Army Chief of Staff General Randy A. George, in the first week of April. George was appointed in 2023 under former US President Joe Biden.

According to reports, Hegseth also fired the head of the Army’s Transformation and Training Command, a unit concerned with modernising the army, and the Army’s chief of chaplains. The Pentagon has not confirmed their dismissal.

Why is Phelan’s dismissal significant?

The 62-year-old’s removal comes during a fragile ceasefire with Iran, as the ⁠⁠US continues to move more naval assets into the region.

The Navy is central to enforcing Trump’s blockade of Iranian ports to restrict Iran’s oil exports and apply economic pressure on Tehran, as the US president looks eager to wrap up the war, which is deeply unpopular to many Americans.

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However, there are no indications that Trump is willing to end the blockade or other naval operations in the Strait of Hormuz, as negotiations between Washington and Tehran have come to a standstill.

Tensions have escalated in recent days after the US military seized an Iranian container ship. The US claimed it was attempting to sail from the Arabian Sea through the Strait of Hormuz to the Iranian port of Bandar Abbas.

Tehran responded by describing the attack and hijack as an act of “piracy”.

Iran has since captured two cargo ships and fired at another.

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Not a Deal-Breaker: White House Downplays Iranian Action Near the Strait

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Not a Deal-Breaker: White House Downplays Iranian Action Near the Strait

Just two weeks ago, President Trump threatened to wipe out Iran’s civilization if it did not open the Strait of Hormuz. Days later, he said any Iranian “who fires at us, or at peaceful vessels, will be BLOWN TO HELL!”

Yet on Wednesday, after Iran seized two ships near the Strait of Hormuz, the White House was quick to argue the action was not a deal breaker for potential peace negotiations.

“These were not U.S. ships,” Karoline Leavitt, the White House press secretary, said on Fox News. “These were not Israeli ships.” Therefore, she explained, the Iranians had not violated a cease-fire with the United States that Mr. Trump has extended indefinitely.

She cautioned the news media against “blowing this out of proportion.”

The surprisingly tolerant tone from the White House suggests Mr. Trump is not eager to reignite a war that he started alongside Israel on Feb. 28 — a war that has proved unpopular with Americans and has gone on longer than he initially estimated.

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The president on Tuesday extended a cease-fire between the United States and Iran that had been set to expire within hours, saying he wanted to give Tehran a chance to come up with a new proposal to end the war.

The American military has displayed its overwhelming might during the war, successfully striking thousands of targets. But it remains unclear whether Mr. Trump will accomplish the political objectives of the war.

The Iranian regime, even after its top leaders were killed, is still intact. Iran has not agreed to Mr. Trump’s demands to turn over its nuclear capabilities to the United States or significantly curtail them. And the Strait of Hormuz, a key passageway for world commerce that was open before the war, remains closed.

Nevertheless, the White House has repeatedly highlighted the military successes on the battlefield as evidence it is winning the war.

“We have completely confused and obliterated their regime,” Ms. Leavitt said on Fox Wednesday. “They are in a very weak position thanks to the actions taken by President Trump and our great United States armed forces, and so we will continue this important mission on our own.”

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The oscillation between threats and a more conciliatory tone has long been one of Mr. Trump’s signature negotiating strategies.

Potential peace talks between the two countries are on hold. Vice President JD Vance had been poised to fly to Islamabad for negotiations. But the trip was postponed until Iran can “come up with a unified proposal,” Mr. Trump said.

The United States recently transmitted a written proposal to the Iranians intended to establish base-line points of agreement that could frame more detailed negotiations. The document covers a broad range of issues, but the core sticking points are the same ones that have bedeviled Western negotiators for more than a decade: the scope of Iran’s uranium enrichment program and the fate of its stockpile of enriched uranium.

Mr. Trump has not spoken publicly about the cease-fire, other than on social media. On Wednesday, he also posted about topics including “my Apprentice Juggernaut” — a reference to his former television show; the Virginia elections, which he called “rigged”; and a new book about Supreme Court Justice Samuel A. Alito Jr.

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