“U.S. gas prices have fallen for seven straight weeks and are approaching an average price of $4 a gallon, easing the pain of record-high fuel costs amid shrinking global demand for oil,” the Wall Street Journal reports.
Former Treasury Secretaries Back Manchin’s Bill
“Five former Treasury secretaries — including Hank Paulson, who served under President George W. Bush — signed a statement strongly backing the ‘Inflation Reduction Act’ brokered by Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer and Sen. Joe Manchin (D-WV),” Axios reports.
Taliban Facing Backlash After U.S. Drone Strike
“The U.S. drone strike that killed al-Qaeda leader Ayman al-Zawahiri here early Sunday also struck a humiliating blow against the Taliban regime, which had secretly hosted the aging extremist in the heart of the Afghan capital for months but failed to keep him safe,” the Washington Post reports.
“Just as the Taliban was preparing to celebrate its first year in power later this month, the attack has sparked a nationalistic backlash against the beleaguered regime at home and taunting comments on social media calling for revenge against the United States.”
Victories by Trump Allies Showcase His Grip on GOP Base
“Primary victories in Arizona and Michigan for allies of Donald Trump on Tuesday reaffirmed his continued influence over the Republican Party, as the former president has sought to cleanse the party of his critics, install loyalists in key swing-state offices and scare off potential 2024 rivals with a show of brute political force,” the New York Times reports.
“In a particularly symbolic victory for Mr. Trump, Rusty Bowers, the Republican speaker of the Arizona House who gained national attention after testifying against Mr. Trump at the Jan. 6 congressional hearings, lost his bid for State Senate.”
Judge Rejects Bid to Delay Oath Keepers Trial
“The first trial on seditious conspiracy charges related to the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the Capitol is on track to begin in Washington next month for nine members of the Oath Keepers’ militia, after a federal judge on Tuesday turned down a request by nearly all defendants to put off the courtroom showdown until next year,” Politico reports.
The Biggest Winner Last Night Was Abortion Rights
“The overwhelming support for abortion rights in a traditionally conservative state bolsters Democrats’ hopes that the historic Supreme Court ruling will animate their voters in an otherwise difficult election year for their party,” the Washington Post reports.
“The Kansas vote signals that abortion is an energizing issue that could affect turnout in the November midterms.”
The result is “a political earthquake with the potential to reshape the entire midterm campaign,” Politico reports.
New York Times: “Consider far western Kansas, a rural region along the Colorado border that votes overwhelmingly Republican. In Hamilton County, which voted 81 percent for Mr. Trump in 2020, less than 56 percent chose the anti-abortion position on Tuesday (with about 90 percent of the vote counted there). In Greeley County, which voted more than 85 percent for Mr. Trump, only about 60 percent chose the anti-abortion position.”
“We can talk about the cities all day long, but Kansas is known as a rural Republican state for a reason: Rural Republican areas cover enough of the state that they can, and almost always do, outvote the cities. The rejection of the amendment has as much to do with lukewarm support in the reddest counties as it does with strong opposition in the bluest ones.”
Biden to Sign Order Helping Patients Travel for Abortion
“President Biden will sign an executive order Wednesday to direct his health secretary to consider actions to assist patients traveling out of state for abortions,” the Washington Post reports.
Pelosi Departs Taiwan
“Speaker Nancy Pelosi departed Taiwan on Wednesday after meeting with the president and other officials in a visit that heightened tensions with China,” the AP reports.
“In Taiwan, she said her delegation was showing their commitment to the self-governing island that China claims and says must come under its control.”
Josh Rogin: The real crisis over Taiwan will start after Pelosi comes home.
Trump-Backed Candidates Surge in Arizona
“Donald Trump-backed candidates pulled ahead in Arizona’s GOP primaries, showing, if early election results hold, a sign of the sway the former president still has over Republicans in the state,” the Arizona Republic reports.
“Blake Masters (R), who’s backed by both Trump and tech investor Peter Thiel, was declared the U.S. Senate primary winner.”
“Mark Finchem was declared the Republican primary winner in the secretary of state race, and Abe Hamadeh led his competitors for attorney general. Both men were Trump-endorsed, and both denied Joe Biden won the 2020 presidential election in Arizona.”
“Trump-endorsed Kari Lake and Karrin Taylor Robson, who was endorsed by former Vice President Mike Pence, were in a virtual tie in the race for the GOP nomination for governor.”
Peter Meijer Ousted in Michigan Primary
Rep. Peter Meijer (R-MI), one of 10 House Republicans who voted to impeach Donald Trump last year, fell in defeat to John Gibbs (R), a former Trump administration official who ran with the ex-president’s support and embraced his false claims of a stolen election, the Washington Post reports.
Meijer, who is in his first term, becomes the second GOP House member ousted in a primary after supporting the impeachment of Trump for inciting a riot with false claims of a stolen election.
Americans Have Long Memories
David Ignatius: “Zawahiri must have worried that in his last decade, he was a forgotten man. But that wasn’t quite true. He remained a daily obsession for the counterterrorism specialists at the Pentagon and CIA. That’s a warning for the Russians, Chinese or anyone else who doubts U.S. staying power. Americans might look impatient and undependable. But they have long memories.”
Inside the Mission to Kill Zawahiri
“Ayman al-Zawahiri, the 71-year-old leader of al-Qaeda, stepped onto the third-floor balcony of his house in an exclusive neighborhood of Kabul around 6:15 a.m. Sunday. He usually appeared in the morning, shortly after daybreak. Sometimes he read. He was always alone,” the Washington Post reports.
“And the CIA was watching… At 6:18 a.m., a CIA drone in the sky above fired two Hellfire missiles.”
“It’s not known whether Zawahiri reacted. But former officials who have participated in drone strikes say it’s not uncommon, in the final seconds before impact, for the target to look up as he hears a projectile rocketing toward him.”
Ex-White House Counsel Subpoenaed by Grand Jury
“A federal grand jury has subpoenaed former Trump White House counsel Pat Cipollone in its investigation into the Jan. 6 assault on the U.S. Capitol and efforts to overturn the 2020 election,” ABC News reports.
“The move to subpoena Cipollone signals an even more dramatic escalation in the Justice Department’s investigation of the Jan. 6 attack than previously known, following appearances by senior members of former Vice President Mike Pence’s staff before the grand jury two weeks ago.”
Abortion Rights Score Huge Victory In Kansas
In a big victory for abortion rights, the proposed constitutional amendment in Kansas to remove protections has failed, the Cook Political Report projects.
The results don’t even appear to be close.
And there’s the Democratic playbook for the midterms: Tap into the growing anger about Republican extremism, from taking away abortion rights to attacking democracy.
Eric Schmitt Wins GOP Senate Nod in Missouri
Eric Schmitt (R) has won the Republican U.S. Senate primary in Missouri, defeating Vicky Hartzler (R), Eric Greitens (R) and Billy Long (R), according to the Cook Political Report.
Turnout Surges In Kansas for Abortion Ballot Measure
Nathaniel Rakich: “By all accounts, turnout in Kansas is through the roof today, with the secretary of state suggesting that half of voters statewide will cast a ballot (it’s unclear if he meant half of registered voters or half of eligible voters). That strongly suggests that the abortion-related ballot measure is driving turnout, not the state’s sleepy primaries.”
Trump Tries to Topple Powerful Wisconsin Republican
“After months of toying with Robin Vos, who as the speaker of the Wisconsin Assembly is the most powerful Republican in state politics, former President Donald J. Trump endorsed Mr. Vos’s long-shot primary challenger on Tuesday in a futile effort to push the state’s Republicans to decertify the results of the 2020 election,” the New York Times reports.
“Mr. Trump backed Adam Steen, a largely unknown and underfunded far-right Republican who said he would aim to claw back the state’s 10 Electoral College votes from 2020 — a legal impossibility — and enact sweeping changes to the state’s voting laws.”
Today’s Primary Results
A final stretch of primaries will showcase a divided Republican party in Arizona, Kansas, Michigan, Missouri and Washington and test the influence of former president Donald Trump.
The first polls close at 8 p.m. ET.
Leave your reactions in the comments as results come in.
