5 States Hold Primaries Today, and a Man Is Arrested in Connection With Deadly Spokane Wildfires

Five states — Kansas, Michigan, Missouri, Virginia, and Washington — are holding primary elections today. A primary election is when voters choose which candidate from their party will run in the big November election. The biggest race to watch is in Michigan, where Democrats are trying to win an open Senate seat. Winning that seat is important because it could help Democrats take back control of the U.S. Senate.

In Michigan, two Democratic candidates are fighting for the chance to face Republican Mike Rogers in November. Congresswoman Haley Stevens flipped a suburban district from Republican to Democrat back in 2018. She says she can win over voters from both parties and that she strongly supports Michigan's manufacturing industry. Her opponent, Abdul El-Sayed, is a former public health official who supports Medicare for All and wants to get corporate money out of politics. Reporters say this race is about more than just Michigan — it's a test of whether progressive, or further-left, candidates can win in competitive swing states.

In Washington, D.C., the Senate Judiciary Committee is expected to vote today on whether to move forward with confirming Todd Blanche as the next Attorney General. Two Republican senators, John Cornyn and Thom Tillis, had been blocking the vote, but they changed their minds after Blanche promised in writing to get rid of a controversial $1.8 billion fund. That fund had been created as part of a legal settlement connected to a lawsuit former President Trump filed against the IRS. Critics worried the fund could be used to pay Trump's allies and some of the people involved in the January 6th Capitol riot. Legal experts warn that Blanche's written promises are not legally binding, meaning they may not actually be enforceable in court.

In Spokane, Washington, firefighters are battling three major wildfires that have forced about 65,000 people to leave their homes since last weekend. The fires — called the Old Trails Fire, the Autumn Lane Fire, and the Fairview Fire — have burned more than 7,000 acres and destroyed around 600 homes. Authorities have arrested 37-year-old Aaron Farinacci on charges of first-degree arson, meaning investigators believe he intentionally started one of the fires. Residents who were evacuated may not be able to return for several days because strong, unpredictable winds are still pushing the flames. Fire officials say that hotter, drier weather caused by climate change has made Spokane much more vulnerable to dangerous wildfires in recent years.

In Congress, the House Ethics Committee has published a report recommending that Representative Chuck Edwards of North Carolina be censured, or officially punished. The committee said Edwards showed persistent unprofessional and inappropriate conduct toward two young female staffers on his team. However, the committee also said it found no evidence that Edwards engaged in sexual activity with them. Being censured is a formal way Congress disciplines one of its own members, though it does not remove them from office.

Out in the Pacific Ocean, remote islands that are home to coral reefs, sharks, and millions of seabirds are now at the center of a big debate. The Trump administration is moving to open some of the protected waters around these islands to commercial fishing. Fishing crews in Hawaii support the idea, saying they face rising costs and tough competition. But many Native Hawaiian groups see the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands as sacred and are strongly against the plan. Environmental scientists also warn that opening these protected areas to fishing could damage delicate ecosystems that are already stressed by climate change.