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7 races to watch Tuesday, from Alabama to Georgia and beyond

Three states are holding primary runoff elections on Tuesday, while voters in Washington, D.C., and Virginia will hold nominating contests that could have implications for well-known Democratic incumbents. 

In Alabama, one of the states with a closely watched runoff election, Rep. Mo Brooks and former Senate aide Katie Britt will face off for the GOP Senate nomination, while voters in Georgia are set to deliver verdicts on a pair of House candidates endorsed by former President Trump. 

So, there’s plenty to keep an eye on. Here are seven races to watch on Tuesday. 

Alabama’s Republican Senate runoff 

Brooks and Britt, a former aide to retiring Sen. Richard Shelby (R-Ala.), are set to face off on Tuesday in a head-to-head match-up that will decide the state’s GOP Senate nominee — and likely Shelby’s successor. 

Brooks appeared to be the front-runner for the nomination after Trump endorsed him last year. But the Alabama congressman struggled for months to gain traction with voters, and Trump ultimately withdrew his support in March.  

Brooks staged a late comeback in the race, beating out retired Army pilot Mike Durant for the second-place spot. Britt finished 15 points ahead of Brooks, but still fell short of the majority support she needed to clinch the nomination outright. 

Trump ultimately endorsed Britt in the primary runoff, making her the favorite to win the GOP Senate nod.   

Georgia’s Democratic secretary of state runoff 

Georgia voters will choose between state Rep. Bee Nguyen and former state Rep. Dee Dawkins-Haigler on Tuesday in the runoff to decide who will take on Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger (R) in November. 

Nguyen finished nearly 26 points ahead of Dawkins-Haigler in the May 24 primary, but didn’t quite win enough of the vote to secure the nomination. She has the endorsement of Stacey Abrams, the Democratic gubernatorial nominee in Georgia, giving her a leg up over Dawkins-Haigler. 

Raffensperger won renomination last month, overcoming a Trump-backed primary challenge from Rep. Jody Hice (R-Ga.). That nominating contest proved divisive, though, and if Republican voters don’t coalesce behind Raffensperger in November, it could give Democrats a potential path to victory. 

Georgia’s 6th Congressional District Republican runoff 

The primary runoff in Georgia’s 6th District, in Atlanta’s northern suburbs, will pit emergency room doctor Rich McCormick against attorney Jake Evans in a race that could test the strength of Trump’s endorsing power.  

Evans has Trump’s endorsement in the race, but that hasn’t stopped McCormick from attacking him as insufficiently conservative. In fact, the two candidates have gone back and forth for weeks over their conservative credentials.  

McCormick finished 20 points ahead of Evans in the June 24 primary, when the ballot was significantly more crowded. With just two candidates running on Tuesday, Evans has more than enough room to make up that deficit.  

Georgia’s 10th Congressional District Republican runoff 

The Republican primary runoff in Georgia’s 10th District has effectively emerged as a proxy war between GOP heavyweights. Trump has endorsed former state Rep. Vernon Jones in the race, while Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp (R) threw his support behind trucking company owner Mike Collins last week. 

Jones, a former Democrat, had previously challenged Kemp for the Republican gubernatorial nomination but dropped out of that contest after Trump promised to endorse him in the race for the 10th District. He finished just 4 points behind Collins in the primary last month. 

The Tuesday runoff will put Trump’s endorsement against Kemp’s after the Georgia governor easily overcame a primary challenge from Trump-backed former Sen. David Perdue (R-Ga.).  

Washington, D.C., Democratic mayoral primary 

Mayor Muriel Bowser is facing challenges from two D.C. Council members as she seeks renomination for a third term in office.  

Bowser has sought to campaign as a proven leader and steady hand in the district’s government and has touted her advocacy for D.C. statehood. But she’s also faced attacks over rising crime in the city, as well as a worsening homelessness problem.  

Her two main Democratic rivals are Robert White and Trayon White, who have criticized Bowser over her handling of public safety and rising housing costs in the city that have pushed Black residents out. 

If Bowser pulls off a victory on Tuesday, it will set her up to be only the second D.C. mayor to serve more than two terms.  

Virginia’s 2nd Congressional District Republican primary 

Four Republicans are vying for the nomination to take on Rep. Elaine Luria (D) in Virginia’s coastal 2nd District, a race that is expected to be among the most competitive in the state this November.  

Each of the candidates in the GOP primary have sought to highlight their military service, though one is seen as a clear front-runner, state Sen. Jen Kiggans. Kiggans has the support of the Congressional Leadership Fund, a super PAC aligned with House Republican leadership, as well as a significant fundraising lead over her primary opponents. 

Luria, who flipped a GOP-controlled House seat in 2018, is facing an uphill reelection battle this year. Not only is she running in a tough political environment for Democrats nationally, but the decennial redistricting process shifted her district toward Republicans. The Cook Political Report, a nonpartisan election handicapper, rates her race as a toss-up. 

Virginia’s 7th Congressional District Republican primary 

Much like in Virginia’s 2nd District, the GOP primary in the 7th District will see six Republicans fight for the nomination to take on another vulnerable Democratic incumbent, Rep. Abigail Spanberger, in November. 

Spanberger, who also won her seat in 2018 after ousting former Rep. Dave Brat (R), is running in a slightly more favorable district than Luria. The redistricting process turned it from a Republican-leaning district to one that tilts ever so slightly toward Democrats. 

Still, with the national political environment working against Democrats, Spanberger is still expected to face a tough fight in November. 

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Biden to appoint first Native American to serve as Treasurer

President Biden is set to announce the appointment of Lynn Malerba, the lifetime chief of the Mohegan Tribe and the first  Native American to serve as the U.S. Treasurer. 

In a statement, the Treasury said that Malerba, who previously served in the department’s Tribal Advisory Committee, will also oversee the Office of Tribal and Native Affairs, a newly established office that will house staff that will directly communicate with Tribal nations and be the hub for Tribal policy. 

Her name will be the first signature seen on U.S. currency belonging to a Native woman and tribal leader in the nation’s history.

Malerba will also oversee the U.S. Mint, Fort Knox, and will work closely with the Federal Reserve as a liaison.  

Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen, who is planning a visit to the Rosebud Indian Reservation in South Dakota on Tuesday as the first cabinet member in that post to do so, congratulated Malerba noting that her appointment will be beneficial for the economic opportunities in the Tribal community. 

“I am deeply honored that Chief Malerba will serve as the nation’s Treasurer and spearhead the department’s new Office of Tribal and Native Affairs. This is an historic appointment,” Yellen said in a statement.”

The Treasury created what it calls a Tribal team last year as part of an effort to improve relations with Tribal nations and help administer $30 billion in programs directed to Tribes as part of the American Rescue Plan in an effort to combat the pandemic.

Malerba, who became the first woman to serve as the chief of her tribe in 2010 expressed her gratitude for being appointed as the country’s new Treasurer. 

“I am honored and humbled by Secretary Yellen and the Biden Administration’s commitment to ensuring that all voices are heard by Treasury as we work together to create an equitable and just society,” Malerba said in a statement. 

“It is especially important that our Native voices are respected. This appointment underscores this Administration’s commitment to doing just that. I am excited to serve our communities as Treasurer and for the work ahead.”

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Colbert defends staffers after Capitol arrest: 'High jinks with intent to goof'

“The Late Show” host Stephen Colbert defended his staff at the top of Monday’s episode after they were arrested by Capitol Police last week, saying the seven people charged with unlawful entry were in reality guilty of nothing more than “high jinks with intent to goof.”

“Last week I heard from my old colleague Triumph the Insult Comic Dog,” Colbert said in his opening monologue. “Triumph offered to go down to D.C. to interview some congresspeople to highlight the Jan. 6 hearings. I said ‘Sure, if you can get anyone to agree to talk to you, because — and please don’t take this as an insult — you’re a puppet.”

Multiple lawmakers from both parties, however, agreed to the sit-downs, Colbert said, adding that “Triumph and my folks shot for two days in congressional offices” after going through security. He emphasized that they were “invited into the offices of the congresspeople they were interviewing.”

“And that’s very important,” Colbert quipped. “You have to invite Triumph in — he works on Dracula rules.”

“Thursday evening, after they’d finished their interviews, they were doing some last-minute puppetry and jokey make-em-ups in a hallway, when Triumph and my folks were approached and detained by the Capitol Police, which actually isn’t that surprising. The Capitol Police are much more cautious than they were, say, 18 months ago, and for a very good reason. If you don’t know what that reason is, I know which news network you watch,” he said.

CBS had confirmed to The Hill on Friday that members of the “The Late Show’s” production team had been detained by Capitol Police after they and Triumph had visited the complex Wednesday and Thursday to record interviews.

“Their interviews at the Capitol were authorized and pre-arranged through Congressional aides of the members interviewed,” CBS said.

“After leaving the members’ offices on their last interview of the day, the production team stayed to film stand-ups and other final comedy elements in the halls when they were detained by Capitol Police,” the network added.

U.S. Capitol Police (USCP) said in a Friday statement that at around 8:30 p.m. a day earlier they responded to a call reporting a disturbance in the Longworth House Office Building, and that seven people were charged with unlawful entry.

“Responding officers observed seven individuals, unescorted and without Congressional ID, in a sixth-floor hallway. The building was closed to visitors, and these individuals were determined to be a part of a group that had been directed by the USCP to leave the building earlier in the day,” the statement read.

“This is an active criminal investigation, and may result in additional criminal charges after consultation with the U.S. Attorney,” it added.

The arrests did not go unnoticed by lawmakers. 

In a letter sent Monday, GOP Reps. Jim Jordan (Ohio) and Rodney Davis asked USCP Chief J. Thomas Manger for more information about the incident.

“These individuals were arrested and charged with unlawful entry after causing ‘disturbances’ at the offices of several Republican members, including ‘banging’ on their office doors,” Jordan and Davis said.  

“The individuals were originally in the Capitol Complex in connection with the activities of the January 6th Select Committee, but it is unclear whether the Select Committee had any involvement in or awareness of these individuals’ planned harassment of Republican offices.”

Responding on Monday night to media reports, Colbert called it “shameful and grotesque” that his staff’s behavior had been compared to an “insurrection.”

“The Capitol Police were just doing their job. My staff was just doing their job. Everyone was very professional. Everyone was very calm. My staffers were detained, processed and released,” he said. “A very unpleasant experience for my staff, a lot of paperwork for the Capitol Police, but a fairly simple story. Until: the next night when a couple of the TV people started claiming that my puppet squad had ‘committed insurrection at the U.S. Capitol building.’”

“An insurrection involves disrupting the lawful actions of Congress and howling for the blood of elected leaders, all to prevent the peaceful transfer of power. This was first-degree puppetry. This was high jinks with intent to goof. Misappropriation of an old Conan bit.”

“It’s really Conan’s fault,” he added.

Source: TEST FEED1

Pence says Democrats using Jan 6. to 'distract attention'

Former Vice President Mike Pence said Monday that he won’t let Democrats use the Jan. 6, 2021, attack at the Capitol to “distract attention” from their “failed agenda,” in some of his first comments since the committee investigating the Capitol riot held a hearing centered on his role leading up to and on that day.

In an interview with Fox News on Monday, Pence called Jan. 6 a “tragic day,” but also said that he and former President Trump “parted very amicably” on the last day of their administration despite what the committee laid out was a weeks-long campaign by Trump to pressure his vice president to overturn the 2020 election results.

Aides to both men rejected the legal theory being touted to do so, which led to the violence on Jan. 6 in which Pence had to be ushered to safety while overseeing the certification of Electoral College votes in his role as vice president at the time.

“We parted very amicably on Jan. 20,” Pence told Fox News. “I don’t know if the president and I will ever see eye to eye on my duties on Jan. 6, but, in the aftermath of that tragic day, we sat down, and we talked through it. And then we rolled our sleeves up and finished the final weeks of our administration working together.

“And we parted very amicably. And we spoke in the months that followed us leaving office — we spoke with some regularity,” Pence said. “And now, I think we’ve kind of gone our separate ways over the last year, but I’ll always be proud of the record we created.” 

The day after last week’s Jan. 6 committee hearing focused on Pence’s role, Trump criticized his former vice president, calling him a “human conveyor belt” for not supporting efforts to overturn the 2020 election results.

Fox News spoke to Pence at the University of Club in Chicago, where he was giving a speech on Monday, during which he bemoaned President Biden’s economic agenda, in which he called for a “change in direction.”

Pence is widely seen as laying the groundwork to launch a presidential campaign for the 2024 GOP presidential nomination. He has been a regular at Republican events in New Hampshire, South Carolina and Iowa, and in recent days he has held events alongside the governors of Arizona and Ohio. 

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Jordan asks Capitol Police for information on Colbert team's presence

GOP Reps. Jim Jordan (Ohio.) and Rep. Rodney Davis (Ill.) are asking Capitol Police for more information after several staffers from “The Late Show with Stephen Colbert” were arrested in the complex last week.

In a letter sent on Monday, the lawmakers told Capitol Police Chief J. Thomas Manger that the seven individuals on Colbert’s crew were a part of a group that was informed by Capitol Police to leave the building Thursday. 

The lawmakers noted that the seven-member team gained access back to the Capitol building with the help of Reps. Adam Schiff (D-Calif.) and Jake Auchincloss (D-Mass.), adding that it is unclear if the Jan. 6 House select committee had involvement with Colbert’s team plan in the Capitol. 

“These individuals were arrested and charged with unlawful entry after causing “disturbances” at the offices of several Republican members, including ‘banging’ on their office doors,” the lawmakers said in a statement.  

“The individuals were originally in the Capitol Complex in connection with the activities of the January 6th Select Committee, but it is unclear whether the Select Committee had any involvement in or awareness of these individuals’ planned harassment of Republican offices.”

The lawmakers asked Manger to provide a report on the incident, witness statements and other material related to the crew’s arrest, as well as security footage and still photographs. 

“Please provide this material as soon as possible. If you are unable to promptly comply with this request due to ongoing law-enforcement sensitivities, we ask that you certify to us that you have taken all necessary steps to preserve responsive material in the United States Capitol Police’s custody or control,” the lawmakers concluded. 

CBS confirmed with The Hill on Friday that Colbert’s production team was detained by Capitol Police, saying that they were in the building to conduct interviews for a show segment. 

Capitol Police said its own statement that the individuals were detained and charged with unlawful entry amid responding calls of a disturbance at the Longworth House building. 

“Their interviews at the Capitol were authorized and pre-arranged through Congressional aides of the members interviewed,” the network said in a statement, adding that “After leaving the members’ offices on their last interview of the day, the production team stayed to film stand-ups and other final comedy elements in the halls when they were detained by Capitol Police.”

Source: TEST FEED1

North Carolina blaze swells to 800 acres

North Carolina authorities say a wildfire in the state has grown to at least 800 acres and is only a quarter contained. 

Regional station WBTW reported on Monday that the fire began in the woods of private land near the area of New Lake Road in Hyde County. 

Authorities said that fire crews began working on the blaze on Sunday, as the fire grew to 500 acres. 

The North Carolina Forest Service said in a statement on Monday that it has contained about 25 percent of the fire, adding that crews from neighboring counties are also working to contain it, according to WBTW. 

Neighboring Franklin County has canceled its July 4th fireworks celebration due to the ongoing fire, which has led to the death of one person and injuries of three firefighters, according to Greensboro affiliate WGHP.  

“Franklin County is saddened by the loss of life from the fire in Lenoir County last week which resulted in several injuries to firefighters fighting a fire which also included the detonation of commercial-grade fireworks in a storage container,” county officials said in a statement.

Franklin County officials also said that there is no replacement for the slated firework festival due to the destruction caused by the ongoing fire, WGHP reported. 

“As a result of the destruction of the fireworks – which would have been used in this year’s celebration – and the lack of time to find replacements, the county will have to cancel this year’s Independence Day fireworks and accompanying festivities,” officials said.

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Taliban releases 5 British citizens caught in crackdown after US withdrawal

British authorities said Monday that the Taliban released five male citizens who were held captive in Afghanistan after the U.S. troop withdrawal from the country in August.

The British Foreign, Commonwealth, and Development Office said in a statement that the men had no role with the U.K. government in Afghanistan and were there against travel advice.

“This was a mistake,” the statement read.

“On behalf of the families of the British nationals, we express their apologies for any breach of Afghan culture, customs or laws, and offer their assurance of future good conduct,” according to the statement. “The UK Government regrets this episode.” 

The New York Times reported that the five British nationals were arrested by Taliban authorities as they were trying to leave the country during the chaotic U.S. military withdrawal from Kabul.

In its own statement, the Taliban said the British citizens were arrested due to “violating the country’s laws and the traditions of the Afghan people,” adding that the individuals were released after several meetings between British and Taliban officials. 

“They pledged to abide by the laws of Afghanistan, the traditions and culture of the people and not to violate them again,” Taliban spokesperson Zabihullah Mujahid said in a statement. “Afghanistan is now safe for all, anyone can come to Afghanistan with confidence for charity and tourism.” 

In a statement, the family of former journalist and businessman Peter Jouvenal, who was among the five individuals to be released from custody, expressed their gratitude to for his release, the Times noted. 

“We are grateful to the thousands of people who have supported the campaign to release him,” the family’s statement said. “We thank the team in the U.K. Foreign Commonwealth and Development Office who have worked tirelessly to secure his release.”

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Here's the best time to see 5 planets align in a rare parade this week

NEW ORLEANS (WGNO) — Mercury, Venus, Mars, Jupiter, and Saturn have been aligning in order this month for the first time in 18 years. This week will offer the peak viewing time to see the planet parade.

You won’t need a telescope to see the rare grouping of planets, as they will all be visible to the naked eye. It might still be difficult to see Mercury, however, because of how dim it appears.

As we get closer to the end of June, Mercury will become brighter as it gradually climbs higher above the horizon each night, according to Sky and Telescope.

The best day for viewing will be on Friday, June 24, when the waning crescent moon joins the lineup of planets. Looking toward the southeast, the moon will appear positioned between Venus and Mars.

The best time to look to the sky will be about 45 minutes to about 1 hour before sunrise through the end of June. Keep in mind that June has some of the earliest sunrises of the year, so this means the ideal viewing time is just before 5 a.m.

This “parade of planets” hasn’t been seen from Earth since 2004, and it won’t happen again until 2040, experts say.

Venus, Mars, Jupiter and Saturn will still be visible for most mornings in July, but the group of planets will spread out farther and farther as the month goes on.

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Our shared climate responsibility

Living in the mountains of southern Oregon, I’ve explored the wilderness around me. Now the summer solstice approaches, and the days lengthen. I look for patterns on every trail. Why are wildflowers distributed the way they are? Do slight differences in soil, slope and exposure to sunlight determine their spatial distribution? Is elevation a factor in where different flower types can flourish? What controls the alignment of tree moss in a preferred direction? Wind? Sunlight?

It’s tough to get out of this habit of pattern analysis. Pattern analysis is my job. It’s my life. I’ve spent decades searching for — and finding — coherent “fingerprints” of human influence embedded in noisy climate data.

My home in the mountains is “paradise with an asterisk.” Many of the residents in this conservative part of the world have bought into false claims that human-caused climate change is a “hoax” or a “conspiracy.” That’s the asterisk. Paradise is accompanied by willful ignorance.

While climate science is ignored by many who live here, paradise is being lost. Snowpack is diminishing. Glaciers on Mt. Shasta are rapidly receding. Water is becoming an ever-scarcer resource. Summer heatwaves are ramping up in intensity, frequency and duration. Fire season is lengthening, and fire weather is transitioning to “never seen anything like this before”.  

The proximate cause of these connected climatic dots is fossil fuel burning, which has increased atmospheric levels of heat-trapping greenhouse gases, warming Earth’s atmosphere by nearly 2 degrees Fahrenheit since the Industrial Revolution. Substantially more warming is on the way if we cannot and will not rapidly curb our enthusiasm for “liberating carbon.” More impacts on human health.  More pressure to migrate to areas with lower risk of climate change threats. More conflict arising from climate change diasporas. More species headed for extinction. More paradise lost.  

This is all happening on our watch. We are culpable. We are responsible.

Recently, I was prompted to think about responsibility by a trip into town for my weekly grocery shopping. After less than 20 minutes in the store, I returned to my car and saw that someone had rammed the left rear side. The car was a mess.  

The person responsible drove off without even leaving a note. It all went down in a busy parking lot with dozens of cars around. In broad daylight. In the middle of a weekday afternoon. Pretty brazen stuff.  

It looks like the culprit will avoid responsibility. The police have not identified the hit-and-run driver. There were no witnesses — or if someone did see what happened, they were unwilling to become involved in any unpleasantness.

Most of us living in this country are both witnesses and contributors to the ongoing damage that is happening to Earth’s climate system. We cannot — like the hit-and-run driver did — simply ignore the damage. We cannot — like possible witnesses to the hit-and-run — simply look away and rationalize inaction by telling ourselves that human-caused climate change is none of our business.

It is, in fact, our business to deal with the climate changes our actions have wrought. Climate change is our responsibility. It’s happening on our watch.

I’d like to think that we are better than the person who rammed my car. While each of us has life and breath, we cannot depart silently, without a note on the windshield, leaving the cleanup of our planetary life-support system to future generations.    

Ben Santer is a climate scientist, a visiting researcher at UCLA’s Joint Institute for Regional Earth System Science and Engineering, and a John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur fellow. He was the lead author of Chapter 8 of the 1995 report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) and has been a contributor to all six IPCC reports.

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