El-Sayed Wins Michigan Primary; Fauci Faces Contempt Vote

Abdul El-Sayed, a Democratic candidate, won Michigan's primary election and will now face Republican Mike Rogers in the November election. The two are competing for a U.S. Senate seat being left open by Senator Gary Peters. Democrats consider this race a must-win if they want to take back control of the Senate from Republicans. Meanwhile, a Senate committee is expected to vote on whether to hold Dr. Anthony Fauci in contempt of Congress.

El-Sayed beat Rep. Haley Stevens in the Democratic primary. He campaigned with well-known progressive figures like Senator Bernie Sanders and Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez. To win in November, however, experts say he will need to appeal to a wider group of voters — including Black, working-class, and Jewish voters who had supported Stevens.

El-Sayed also faces a big money challenge. Republican groups have already committed at least $45 million to run ads against him. His opponent, Mike Rogers, is a well-known Republican who has called El-Sayed a communist and extremist — claims El-Sayed, who is Egyptian-American, says are completely false. Rogers also needs to be careful not to lose independent voters while trying to win over strong Trump supporters.

Dr. Anthony Fauci, who led the country's coronavirus response for many years, refused to answer questions from lawmakers last week. He used his Fifth Amendment right, which protects people from saying things that could be used against them in court. Senator Rand Paul of Kentucky released more than 1,000 pages of Fauci's private diary entries, claiming Fauci hid his real thoughts about where COVID-19 came from. A Senate committee is now expected to vote on whether Fauci broke the rules by refusing to answer.

The Fauci vote came just one day after the Senate approved Dr. Erica Schwartz as the new director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the CDC. Fauci worked closely with the CDC during the pandemic. The two events put a spotlight on the country's ongoing debates about public health leadership.

President Trump spoke to voters in Las Vegas, trying to sell them on his economic plans. But many tipped workers in the city say his policies are not helping them. Tourism in Las Vegas dropped more than 7% in 2025, partly because of tension with Canada over tariffs. A new poll shows that more Americans now trust Democrats over Republicans on economic issues, the first time that has happened in almost ten years.

Trump says the economy is doing well because of his policies, including a plan that removes taxes on tips. Tipped workers told NPR they did get higher tax refunds this year, but they still face other financial struggles. Fewer tourists — especially from Canada — have hurt the city's businesses and workers.

A federal judge dismissed charges against Stewart Rhodes, the founder of a far-right group called the Oath Keepers. Rhodes and five others had been convicted by juries for their roles in the January 6, 2021 attack on the U.S. Capitol. The Department of Justice, under the Trump administration, asked for the convictions to be thrown out, and the judge — though reluctant — agreed. The dismissal ends the government's legal efforts to punish those involved in the violent storming of the Capitol.

In health news, experts are changing their advice about snacking for kids. For a long time, doctors suggested that children eat about three meals and two snacks per day. But that advice was made before ultra-processed foods became so common. New research says parents should focus on the quality of snacks, not just how often kids eat them.

Researchers now recommend avoiding snacks that are high in refined carbohydrates, like crackers, pretzels, and puffs. These foods can cause blood sugar to spike and then crash, making kids want to eat even more junk food. Better choices include fruits, nuts, beans, and dairy products, which give kids vitamins and fiber. Experts also suggest that parents stop carrying processed snacks in their bags, because kids will stop expecting them if they are never around.