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In Mississippi, a Democrat Challenges the Senator Who Blocked His Judgeship

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In Mississippi, a Democrat Challenges the Senator Who Blocked His Judgeship

Three years ago, Scott Colom, a state prosecutor in Mississippi, was on a bipartisan glide path to a lifetime appointment to a federal judgeship when his nomination was blocked by a single Republican senator. Now Mr. Colom, a Democrat, is seeking to unseat that senator, Cindy Hyde-Smith, in a long-shot challenge to the incumbent in a deeply conservative state.

The race is far from the center stage in the developing battle for control of the Senate, considering that Mississippi has not elected a Democratic senator since 1982, as the era of Southern segregationist Democrats came to a close. But the history between the two candidates adds a unique twist to a contest that would not even be taking place had Ms. Hyde-Smith not upended Mr. Colom’s nomination by President Joseph R. Biden Jr. to a district court seat.

“It is fair to say that I would not have resigned from the federal bench to run for Senate,” Mr. Colom, who is Black and who has been elected three times as the prosecutor for a four-county district in northeast Mississippi, said in an interview.

The MAGA hotbed of Mississippi is an acknowledged reach for Democrats. But they have begun to pay attention to it given Mr. Colom’s appeal and credentials, and as the national political environment improves for their party. Democrats are hoping the momentum they have shown in elections around the country this year can translate into competitive races outside the top tier and deliver an unexpected win or two.

Senator Chuck Schumer, the New York Democrat and minority leader who plays a central role in mapping his party’s Senate campaign strategy, has long been intrigued by the prospect of competing in Mississippi. He met with Mr. Colom multiple times in recent years in an effort to recruit him.

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“This is a good year to expand the map, and Mississippi is a long shot,” Mr. Schumer said. “Still, if it’s ever going to be doable, this is the year.”

He and other Democrats point to a close contest for governor in Mississippi three years ago that suggested Democrats could still compete there given the right conditions. And they see Democratic success in Georgia, another Southern state with a significant Black population that has elected two Democratic senators, as a template for Mississippi. Plus, they say, President Trump is not on the ballot to draw out his base and Ms. Hyde-Smith, a low-profile lawmaker and former state agriculture commissioner, is vulnerable.

Republican strategists in Washington and Mississippi dismiss Democratic designs on the state as a pipe dream, saying Ms. Hyde-Smith is well positioned to win a second full term after being appointed to fill a vacancy in 2018. They say Mr. Colom is waging a campaign of retribution because she cost him the judgeship.

“Colom should save himself the embarrassment of being denied a job twice by Hyde-Smith,” said Bernadette Breslin, a spokeswoman for the National Republican Senatorial Committee.

The Hyde-Smith campaign is hitting Mr. Colom with the same criticism the senator raised when she killed his nomination: he was backed in his races by contributions from the far left and supported transgender rights. The transgender issue played well nationally for Republicans in 2024.

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“Colom’s extremist views have no place in Mississippi, which is exactly why Senator Hyde-Smith blocked him from the federal bench and will defeat him in November,” Jake Monssen, who is managing the Hyde-Smith campaign, said in a statement that called the prosecutor the “transgender defender.”

Mr. Colom, who in 2021 signed a letter with other prosecutors opposing the criminalization of transgender care, said her claim that he would not protect female athletes was wrong and noted that he coaches his two soccer-playing daughters.

“I am not for biological boys playing girl’s sports,” Mr. Colom said.

The prosecutor said he didn’t envision his candidacy as payback for the senator torpedoing his nomination and that he had forgiven her after witnessing some of the forgiveness expressed by victims of serious crimes he had prosecuted.

But he said Ms. Hyde-Smith’s opposition had led him to play closer attention to her record and that he did not like what he saw, including her votes against an infrastructure bill and for the major Republican policy law enacted last year that cut funding for safety net programs like Medicaid — a major source of health care in the state — to help pay for large tax cuts.

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“We are already in a situation where our rural hospitals are in terrible shape,” he said. “We are already in a crisis, and she made it worse. We can’t afford this type of leadership in D.C.”

Despite Ms. Hyde-Smith’s objection, Mr. Colom’s judicial nomination had significant support from other Mississippi Republicans, including the senior G.O.P. senator, Roger Wicker, as well as two former Republican governors, Haley Barbour and Phil Bryant. The Colom family has long ties to Republican leaders in the state.

So far, the Democratic Senate campaign committee and the political action committee aligned with Mr. Schumer have not devoted resources to the race. But party strategists have seen signs that give them glimmers of hope, including a surge in primary turnout in the state in March that saw nearly as many people vote in the Senate Democratic contest as the Republican one — a notable difference from previous years. They also point to ongoing voter registration campaigns they believe could aid the Democrat.

Senator Kirsten Gillibrand, Democrat of New York and the chair of the Democratic Senate campaign arm, called the possibility of Mr. Colom knocking off the senator who bounced him from the bench “poetic justice.”

The clash is not the first time rejection for a federal judgeship has prompted an ex-nominee’s interest in Washington. Jeff Sessions, the former Republican senator from Alabama and attorney general, had his nomination shot down by the Senate Judiciary Committee in 1986. A decade later, Mr. Sessions won election to the Senate, where he would eventually sit on that very panel.

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Trump announces peace deal with Iran, declares Strait of Hormuz will reopen: ‘Let the oil flow!’

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Trump announces peace deal with Iran, declares Strait of Hormuz will reopen: ‘Let the oil flow!’

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President Donald Trump announced Sunday that the United States and Iran have officially reached a peace agreement, marking a major diplomatic breakthrough that would reopen the Strait of Hormuz and end the U.S. naval blockade of Iranian ports.

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“The Deal with the Islamic Republic of Iran is now complete,” Trump wrote in a post on Truth Social.

“Congratulations to all! I hereby fully authorize the toll free opening of the Strait of Hormuz, and, simultaneously herewith, authorize the immediate removal of the United States Naval blockade. Ships of the World, start your engines. Let the oil flow!”

Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, whose country has served as a mediator, was the first to announce the peace deal, saying a signing ceremony is scheduled to take place Friday in Switzerland.

TRUMP SAYS HE’S CANCELED IRAN STRIKES, ADDS POTENTIAL DEAL-SIGNING ‘TO BE ANNOUNCED SHORTLY’

President Donald Trump speaks in the Oval Office of the White House on June 11, 2026, in Washington, D.C. (Jim Lo Scalzo/EPA/Bloomberg via Getty Images)

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Trump added that the Strait of Hormuz will reopen once the parties formally sign the agreement.

“With the opening of the Strait upon the signing of the Deal on Friday, for purposes of mine removal, oil will flow on both ends again for the Region, and the World!” he said.

IRAN REVEALS 10-POINT PLAN FOR PEACE WITH THE US – HERE’S WHAT’S IN IT

President Donald Trump looks at Pakistan’s Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif speaking in Egypt in 2025, following the signing of the first phase of the Gaza ceasefire agreement between Israel and Hamas. (Evelyn Hockstein/Reuters)

According to Sharif, the deal includes the termination of military operations across the region, including in Lebanon, where Iran-backed terrorist proxy Hezbollah has been engaged in conflict with Israel.

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“Both sides have declared the immediate and permanent termination of military operations on all fronts, including in Lebanon,” he said.

Additional details of the agreement, including any provisions related to Iran’s nuclear program, were not immediately released.

Iran’s deputy foreign minister said talks with the United States on a final and more comprehensive agreement will take place during a 60-day ceasefire period, according to Reuters.

The outlet reported that the future of Iran’s nuclear program will be addressed in upcoming negotiations. Trump has long maintained that Iran cannot be in possession of a nuclear weapon and has repeatedly vowed to prevent Tehran from developing, acquiring or obtaining one.

Trump further praised his administration for securing the agreement.

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“This Great Deal will bring Peace and Security to the whole Region,” he said. “Many presidents have tried to make Peace with Iran, and all have failed before me. The Leaders of the Region have, for the first time, found a President who can help them achieve real Peace.”

Sharif also thanked the United States and Iran for their “commitment to finding a diplomatic solution to the conflict,” as well as Qatar, Saudi Arabia and Turkey for their contributions to the mediation effort.

With the agreement now in place, mediators are expected to facilitate a series of meetings this week that could lay the groundwork for technical negotiations and the official signing ceremony, Sharif said.

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The peace deal would formally end the high-stakes conflict that began on Feb. 28, which disrupted roughly 20% of global oil shipments that pass through the Strait of Hormuz and contributed to higher energy prices worldwide.

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It comes roughly one year after Israel initiated massive strikes on Iran during Operation Rising Lion. The strikes sparked a 12-day conflict between the nations before Trump ordered strikes on a trio of nuclear facilities later that same month. 

Fox News’ Ashley J. DiMella and Reuters contributed to this report.

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U.S. and Iran reach agreement to end war, Trump says

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U.S. and Iran reach agreement to end war, Trump says

President Trump said Sunday that the United States and Iran have reached a framework agreement to end the war in the Middle East, a breakthrough in months of negotiations aimed at ending the conflict.

The deal, described by diplomats as a memorandum of understanding, commits Tehran to forgo the development or acquisition of nuclear weapons in exchange for helping reopen the Strait of Hormuz, and the paced release of its assets frozen overseas, upon the signing of the deal Friday in Switzerland.

Trump said he has also authorized “the immediate removal of the United States Naval blockade” on Iranian imports.

“Ships of the World, start your engines. Let the oil flow!” Trump wrote in a social media post Sunday evening. It was the president’s 80th birthday.

The full details of the agreement have not been released. Many details — including how Tehran would give up, destroy or dilute its fissile material, or whether Iran would continue treating the international strait as its sovereign waters — will continue to be negotiated in the coming days.

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Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif said Sunday that mediators are planning to hold a series of meetings this week to “lay the foundation for the technical talks and the official signing ceremony.”

“We would like to thank the United States of America and the Islamic Republic of Iran for their commitment to finding a diplomatic solution to the conflict,” Sharif wrote in a post on X.

The Associated Press reported that negotiations on outstanding issues like Iran’s nuclear program would continue over the next 60 days, according to two senior Pakistani officials who spoke on condition of anonymity.

Vice President JD Vance told Fox News that the White House is “still figuring out the logistics” on whether he or Trump will attend the signing ceremony.

“What we know is that we have a lot of work to do, but a very big win for the American people tonight,” Vance said.”We are just going to keep on working at it, keep on driving energy prices down, keep on ensuring that region of the world is less than a basket case and finally, and most importantly, celebrate, that we can say with confidence Iran will never have a nuclear weapon.”

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Iran’s deputy foreign minister, Kazem Gharibabadi, confirmed the agreement on state television but said Iran would not start implementing it until it was signed on Friday. He said the deal followed over 14 hours of talks in Tehran with a representative from Qatar, another mediator.

Iranian state TV showed a banner asserting: “US was forced to sign an agreement to end the war.”

Iran’s commitment to refrain from pursuing nuclear weapons would simply repeat a vow Iran has made several times before, including in its signing of the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty and its nuclear deal brokered with international powers under the Obama administration over 10 years ago.

Iran has 972 pounds of uranium that is enriched up to 60% purity, a short, technical step from weapons-grade levels of 90%, according to the International Atomic Energy Agency. Under the 2015 international agreement with Iran abandoned by the first Trump administration, Iran’s uranium enrichment was capped at less than 4%, monitored by IAEA inspectors.

The vagueness of the new agreement, the demand for further negotiations to flesh out its details, and the pacing of sanctions relief for Iran are all likely to draw criticism of the president, who launched his political career in 2015 by attacking President Obama’s newly signed nuclear deal as a historically bad agreement.

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That deal, known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, followed two years of painstaking negotiations that were predicated on a similar, yet more detailed framework, called the JCPOA.

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said in a Sunday morning interview on CBS’ “Face the Nation” that the the difference between the JCPOA and how the Trump administration is handling negotiations is the “threat of military force.”

“The huge difference is we did this from a position of strength,” Hegseth said. “That military might will stay as long as necessary.”

And, as in 2015, Israeli leadership across the political aisle remains deeply skeptical of the agreement, pronouncing they will not be bound by a deal to which they are not a party.

In a phone interview with the New York Times on Sunday afternoon, Trump called Benjamin Netanyahu, the prime minister of Israel, a “very difficult guy.”

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“To be honest with you, he should be very thankful to us for doing this. Because if Iran had a nuclear weapon, Israel wouldn’t be around for two hours,” Trump said.

Since the U.S.-Israeli attacks on Iran that started the war Feb. 28, there have been 3,468 confirmed deaths in Iran, according to independent monitors. In addition, 13 U.S. service members have been killed, and the Israeli war with Hezbollah has killed 2,679 in Lebanon as well as 23 Israelis, including eight civilians.

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How Trump and the U.F.C. Transformed the White House Lawn for a Fight

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How Trump and the U.F.C. Transformed the White House Lawn for a Fight

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Kevin Carter/Getty Images

It was back in late May that construction began on the towering, claw-like superstructure that now sits complete on the South Lawn of the White House, ready to stage Ultimate Fighting Championship bouts on Sunday, President Trump’s 80th birthday.

The spectacle is estimated to cost more than $60 million, according to Mark Shapiro, who is the president of U.F.C.’s parent company, TKO Group Holdings. (Mr. Trump purchased between $15,000 and $50,000 worth of stock in TKO weeks ahead of this event at the White House that he has been promoting for months).

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Here’s a look at the fighting arena.

The Claw

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Haiyun Jiang/The New York Times

The Claw is a 600-ton steel arch built in Belgium. Jumbo-sized and star-spangled, with huge television screens hanging from every corner, it coexists strangely with the rest of its environs.

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It towers over the old willow oaks and magnolia trees planted long ago by past presidents on the gentle slope of the South Lawn. It towers over the White House itself. Spectators seated in the topmost section on Sunday night will be on eye level with the Truman balcony.

The Octagon

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Haiyun Jiang/The New York Times

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This is the Octagon, the caged ring in which men will beat one another to a pulp.

The cage is an eight-sided feat of marketeering, its every angle prominently displaying the name of some sponsor who’d paid big bucks to have their brands juxtaposed against the ultimate backdrop.

Among them: Live Trade on Polymarket, Bud Light, Pit Boss Grills, Total Wireless, Morgan & Morgan (“Dial #Law”) and Toyo Tires. “Crypto.com” is carved into each metal step leading into the ring.

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The Venue

The Claw is not all. That venue can only fit a little more than 4,000 people, so a space for a watch party capable of hosting more than 70,000 people has been set up on The Ellipse, which is the park just south of the White House gates.

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Back on the White House lawn, just behind the Claw, there are large tents set up. On Saturday afternoon, the day before the fight, a crew of six motocross riders will be performing stunts on the lawn, including backflips 45 feet in the air.

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