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Nancy Kassebaum, First Woman to Chair a Major Senate Panel, Dies at 94

A moderate Republican from Kansas, she served three terms before tiring of political strife. “I couldn’t get elected today,” she said in 2013.

© Stephen Crowley/The New York Times

Senator Nancy Kassebaum in 1995, outside her office on Capitol Hill. During the first of her three terms, she was the only woman in the Senate.
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How a Progressive Democrat in Florida Gave Her Party New Hope — and New Fears

Angie Nixon, a state lawmaker from Jacksonville, shocked Democrats in red Florida by soundly defeating her centrist primary opponent. Now comes the hard part.

© Saul Martinez for The New York Times

Representative Angie Nixon, a progressive maverick, jolted Florida politics with her upset win in the Democratic Senate primary this week.
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With Midterms Approaching, Trump Implores Republicans: Pretend I’m on the Ballot!

President Trump was in South Carolina to stump for Darline Graham, sister of Lindsey. But his own political future was on his mind, too.

© Alex Kent/The New York Times

President Trump appeared at a rally with Senator Darline Graham ahead of the South Carolina Senate runoff.
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Drawing on His Rust Belt Roots, Vance Campaigns for Republicans

Vice President JD Vance traveled to his hometown, Middletown, Ohio, and spoke at a steel factory where his grandfather once worked.

© Jon Cherry/Associated Press

Vice President JD Vance spoke at a factory in Middletown, Ohio, on Friday.
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More of Trump’s Chosen Candidates Lose Republican Primaries

A series of recent losses has eroded the president’s winning record, raising new questions about his hold over the party’s voters.

© Al Drago for The New York Times

On Tuesday night, several candidates President Trump had endorsed in Florida and Wyoming lost their Republican primary races.
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In Wyoming’s G.O.P. Primaries, an Emphatic Rebuke of the Hard Right

The Wyoming Freedom Caucus had ambitions for a total takeover of elected state government. But its candidates were rejected from the governor’s mansion to the Legislature.

© Will Warasila for The New York Times

At least a dozen Freedom Caucus incumbents were ousted from the Wyoming Legislature.
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Angie Nixon Notches Another Win for the Left Through Old-Fashioned Organizing

State Representative Angie Nixon scored a stunning upset on Tuesday in Florida’s Democratic Senate primary. Her victory will test the strength of a democratic socialist in a red state.

© Saul Martinez for The New York Times

State Representative Angie Nixon of Florida easily defeated her more moderate opponent in the Democratic primary for Senate.
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Byron Donalds Is Favored to Become Florida’s First Black Governor

Byron Donalds, a three-term congressman who won the state’s Republican primary on Tuesday, endorsed President Trump over his own governor, Ron DeSantis. The payoff has been huge.

© Martina Tuaty for The New York Times

Florida voters “just want the best person that’s going to do the job,” said Byron Donalds, who won the Republican nomination for governor on Tuesday.
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Mary Peltola and Dan Sullivan Advance in Key Alaska Senate Contest

Both parties see Alaska as key to winning the Senate. The state’s nonpartisan primary put Mary Peltola, a Democratic former congresswoman, on the same ballot as Dan Sullivan, the incumbent Republican she hopes to unseat. Both advanced to the general election.

© Kerry Tasker/Reuters; Eric Lee for The New York Times

Former Representative Mary Peltola, a Democrat, and Senator Dan Sullivan, a Republican, will advance to the general election for an Alaska Senate seat.
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A Stunning Win for the Left in Florida: 6 Takeaways From Tuesday’s Primaries

State Representative Angie Nixon, a progressive firebrand, marshaled grass-roots enthusiasm to defeat a moderate who dramatically out-raised her. Can it carry her to victory in November?

© Saul Martinez for The New York Times

State Representative Angie Nixon spent just $60,000 on television advertising, compared to opponent Alex Vindman’s $2.2 million.
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Trump slams Musk’s third party plan as ‘ridiculous,’ calls Musk ‘train wreck’

Trump slams Musk’s third party plan as ‘ridiculous,’ calls Musk ‘train wreck’

U.S. President Donald Trump on July 6 commented on tech billionaire Elon Musk's plan to create a new political party, calling it "ridiculous" and warning that third-party movements have historically failed in the United States.

"I think creating a third party is ridiculous... we've had tremendous success with the Republican Party," Trump told reporters on July 6 before boarding Air Force One in Morristown. "The Democrats have lost their way, but it's always been a two-party system, and I think creating a third party just adds to the confusion."

These comments came after Musk unveiled plans on July 5 to launch a new political force in the U.S. called the "America Party."

Musk said the party's goal is to "give you back your freedom" and offer an alternative to the entrenched Republican and Democratic systems, a few weeks after a public split with Trump.

The strained relationship between Musk and Trump began to deteriorate significantly after a period when Musk publicly supported Trump's re-election bid and held a high-profile role in the U.S. government's Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE).

Musk's new party announcement followed Trump signing a major tax and spending bill into law, the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, legislation that Musk had strongly criticized.

Trump later commented further in a Truth Social post, saying that third parties bring "complete and total disruption and chaos" and criticizing Musk.

"I am saddened to watch Elon Musk go completely 'off the rails,' essentially becoming a TRAIN WRECK over the past five weeks," Trump wrote.

Trump also linked Musk's political shift to his frustration over the recently passed Republican bill eliminating the federal electric vehicle mandate.

"It is a Great Bill but, unfortunately for Elon, it eliminates the ridiculous Electric Vehicle (EV) Mandate, which would have forced everyone to buy an Electric Car in a short period of time. I have been strongly opposed to that from the very beginning," Trump added.

Musk led DOGE until May 30 and had been a key figure in dismantling U.S. foreign aid institutions, including USAID, which delivered billions in aid to Ukraine.

Musk launches ‘America Party’ following public feud with Trump
The announcement came a day after Trump signed his sweeping tax cut and spending bill into law, a legislative act that Musk has fiercely opposed.
Trump slams Musk’s third party plan as ‘ridiculous,’ calls Musk ‘train wreck’The Kyiv IndependentOlena Goncharova
Trump slams Musk’s third party plan as ‘ridiculous,’ calls Musk ‘train wreck’
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