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usa·United States | News & PoliticsbyZaktor

Moderate Democrat Ed Case defies progressive challenge in Hawaii primary

The moderate Democratic representative Ed Case has seen off a progressive challenge to retain his party’s nomination for the US House of Representatives election in Hawaii’s first congressional district.

Case, who has represented the district in Washington DC since 2019, prevailed in Saturday’s primary over Jarrett Keohokalole, the state senator.

Keohokalole, 43, had argued during the campaign in Hawaii that the time had come for a new generation of political leadership in the state.

With 91% of votes counted, Case had won 60% of the vote, according to the Associated Press. Keohokalole, in second place, had 36.1%.

Moderate Democrat Ed Case defies progressive challenge in Hawaii primaryhttps://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026/aug/09/ed-case-wins-hawaii-house-primary-election-democratsOpen linkView original on sopuli.xyz
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usa·United States | News & PoliticsbyZaktor

As anger mounts, feds tell border wall contractors to stop drilling for water in New Mexico

During the first Trump administration, ponds at the San Bernardino National Wildlife Refuge in Arizona dried up after crews pumped millions of gallons of water to mix cement.

Now, construction across the region has started again. The 30-foot wall is going up in places workers didn’t get to the first time around, and a second barrier is going up where a wall already exists.

CBP calls it a “smart wall,” which includes new technology like sensors, lighting and cameras. Congress gave the administration nearly $47 billion to finish the project.

The wells are on federal property, within a 60-foot strip of land that runs along the international boundary known as the Roosevelt Reservation. In April, Customs and Border Protection sent a letter to the state engineer’s office that said the federal government is “immune” from state law that requires a permit to pump groundwater.

https://www.wbur.org/hereandnow/2026/08/05/border-wall-water-new-mexicoOpen linkView original on sopuli.xyz
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usa·United States | News & PoliticsbyZaktor

Stevens campaign parts ways with consultant after Palantir work comes to light

Cailin Legacki, of Legacki Consulting and formerly one of Stevens’ key spokespeople during her 2026 primary run, had her contract terminated recently after the Stevens campaign learned of her work with Palantir, a spokesperson for Stevens told Michigan Advance on Thursday.

The news of Legacki’s departure was first reported by Ryan Grim of Dropsite News. Grim said he uncovered her dual role as a consultant with Palantir and asked the campaign for a comment. Legacki’s contract with the campaign was terminated after Grim reached out for comment.

Grim also noted that Legacki was a senior fellow for Third Way, a center-left think tank. Grim reports that Third Way has “played heavily” in the August primary race between Stevens and El-Sayed, who are both vying for the Democratic U.S. Senate nomination to face Republican former U.S. Rep. Mike Rogers in the fall.

Asked whether she planned to continue to consult for Palantir, Legacki said she does not discuss internal information regarding her work with clients.

https://www.newsfromthestates.com/article/stevens-campaign-parts-ways-consultant-after-palantir-work-comes-lightOpen linkView original on sopuli.xyz
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usa·United States | News & PoliticsbyZaktor

Amish Shah wins Democratic congressional primary in Arizona, a blow to the party establishment

PHOENIX (AP) — Amish Shah won the Democratic primary Wednesday in a hotly contested congressional district in Arizona, delivering another defeat to the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee, which backed a rival, as more voters reject the preferences of party leaders in Washington.

The DCCC backed Marlene Galán-Woods, a former Republican who switched parties at the beginning of Trump’s first term.

The DCCC’s decision to endorse Galán-Woods, a former television journalist in Phoenix, puzzled local Democrats because there was little ideological difference between her and Shah. Both are moderates, and the race was not a proxy fight in the party’s deepening feud between progressives and centrists.

Amish Shah wins Democratic congressional primary in Arizona, a blow to the party establishmenthttps://apnews.com/article/amish-shah-arizona-democratic-house-primary-c1631e29aaeef27cdf4ea40cb352069dOpen linkView original on sopuli.xyz
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thepoliceproblem·THE POLICE PROBLEMbyZaktor

Columbus officer accidentally shot by another officer who was trying to shoot dog during domestic incident

Officers were called to an apartment complex in the 2600 block of Divot Place just after 6 p.m. on a report of a domestic incident between two parties.

Fuqua said that when officers arrived, there was a dog present at the scene.

At some point during the investigation, Fuqua said the dog had some type of interaction with the officers, causing at least one officer to fire their weapon.

According to Fuqua, the officer was trying to shoot the dog, but accidentally struck both the dog and another officer.

On Wednesday, the Franklin County Dog Shelter and Adoption Center said the dog was taken to an after-hours emergency veterinary hospital for evaluation, but it was humanely euthanized due to the extent of its injuries.

https://www.10tv.com/article/news/local/columbus-officer-accidentally-shot-by-another-officer-domestic-dispute-divot-place/530-b1c7e141-6cbe-4f20-b97f-91062a6fc227Open linkView original on sopuli.xyz
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usa·United States | News & PoliticsbyZaktor

Maine Democrats Poised to Run a Convention for Senate - The American Prospect

The Maine Democratic State Committee has voted for a 600-person nominating convention, not a statewide caucus, as the method to select a replacement nominee for Graham Platner. Five hundred of the delegates will come proportionally from Maine’s counties, and then include the 100 state committee members.

...

This could easily torch whatever remaining goodwill exists between the party and supporters brought into Platner’s campaign, and brings back all of the unsavoriness associated with perceived backroom dealing. There is no real way to make a 600-person convention representative, and accusations of insiderism will proliferate. It also appears to conflict with the party’s stated goals for an inclusive process where supporters can participate, unless by “participate” they meant “watch online.”

...

The decision damages hopes for reconciliation and potentially affects Platner’s decision to withdraw from the race.

...

Maine Democratic Party Executive Director Devon Murphy-Anderson said on Wednesday that the party is developing “a representative, transparent and inclusive process to select a new nominee,” and added that Platner supporters “are a vital part of our Party and deserve to participate in an open process to select [his] replacement.” That statement was buried in between a good deal of invective over the past two days about Platner trying to “manipulate this process” and vowing that he will “have no role in determining our next Democratic nominee for U.S. Senate, nor in determining what this process will look like.”

Spencer Toth, organizing director of the party, resigned on Wednesday over the latter remark, saying that “the future of this race and this Party should not be decided without the people who made [Platner’s] movement possible.”

Maine Democrats Poised to Run a Convention for Senate - The American Prospecthttps://prospect.org/2026/07/08/maine-democrats-poised-to-run-lighthouse-primary-senate-platner-collins/Open linkView original on sopuli.xyz
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usa·United States | News & PoliticsbyZaktor

Democratic Centrists Need to Stop Saying “Both Sides” Have “Extremes”

The centrists annoyed by the left aren’t stupid. They are conflating the socialist left with the MAGA right as a rhetorical tool. The media, traditional Democrats, and swing voters will reject Mamdani and his ilk if they are convinced that socialists will be as destructive to the U.S. as Trumpists. But this misleading centrist rhetoric has real consequences. What the U.S. desperately needs is socialists, traditional liberals, independents, and pro-democracy conservatives to disagree with one another during Democratic primaries but then join together to defeat the MAGA right in general elections. That unity can’t happen if anytime centrist Democrats lose a primary they act as if a socialist candidate winning is as dangerous as a MAGA candidate winning. It’s not. I plead to those on the center left to stop calling people extreme unless they are trying to end democracy in America.

https://newrepublic.com/article/212517/democratic-centrists-need-stop-saying-both-sides-extremesOpen linkView original on sopuli.xyz
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usa·United States | News & PoliticsbyZaktor

EXCLUSIVE: State Dept. Finalizing Plan to Put Trump Picture on U.S. Passports

Images of the new passport were shared with The Bulwark on condition that it not publish them. According to the source, a government official who provided The Bulwark with color photographs of the redesign, the State Department is planning a “limited run” of 25,000 Trump-emblazoned passports. As of now, according to the source, the new design is still awaiting approval.

EXCLUSIVE: State Dept. Finalizing Plan to Put Trump Picture on U.S. Passportshttps://www.thebulwark.com/p/exclusive-state-dept-finalizing-planOpen linkView original on sopuli.xyz
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politics·politics byZaktor

Dark money group offers influencers $1,500 for posts attacking Chicago Democratic primary candidate

A week out from a crowded and contentious Democratic primary in Illinois’s 9th Congressional District, Amanda Informed, an online influencer in Florida received an email with an offer: one negative post about candidate Kat Abughazaleh on Instagram and TikTok, for $1,500.

The request, which came from a secretive political organization called Democracy Unmuted, was forwarded to her by Matt Anthes, founder of Advocators, a digital marketing agency focused on politics and advocacy through micro-influencers.

...

It’s unclear how many creators were ultimately part of the Democracy Unmuted campaign.

MS NOW found several recent creator videos that seemed to follow the Democracy Unmuted brief targeting Abughazaleh.

One, from Justin Kralemann, a Missouri creator who posts about progressive politics, recited whole sentences from the Democracy Unmuted brief. Kralemann, wearing a white hat with “WOKE” emblazoned on the front, mispronounced Abughazaleh’s name and told his combined one million followers on Instagram and TikTok that it was important “to look past viral personalities and ask who is running and why” — a quote matching a suggested quote in the brief.

Dark money group offers influencers $1,500 for posts attacking Chicago Democratic primary candidatehttps://www.ms.now/news/kat-abughazaleh-dark-money-influencersOpen linkView original on sopuli.xyz
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usa·United States | News & PoliticsbyZaktor

Federal court blocks new Texas congressional map for 2026

“The public perception of this case is that it’s about politics,” U.S. Judge Jeffrey Brown, a Trump appointee, wrote in the ruling striking down the new lines. “To be sure, politics played a role in drawing the 2025 Map. But it was much more than just politics. Substantial evidence shows that Texas racially gerrymandered the 2025 Map.”

Brown ordered that the 2026 congressional election “shall proceed under the map that the Texas Legislature enacted in 2021.” The case will likely be appealed to the U.S. Supreme Court, but time is short: Candidates only have until Dec. 8 to file for the upcoming election.

...

Tuesday’s decision came from a three-judge panel made up of Brown; U.S. District Judge David Guaderrama, a Barack Obama appointee; and Judge Jerry Smith, who was appointed to the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals by Ronald Reagan.

Federal court blocks new Texas congressional map for 2026https://www.texastribune.org/2025/11/18/texas-redistricting-ruling-lawsuit-el-paso-court-2026-midterms/Open linkView original on sopuli.xyz
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thepoliceproblem·THE POLICE PROBLEMbyZaktor

Police admit they shot dead Manchester synagogue victim, as attack puts spotlight on antisemitism in UK

Manchester police Chief Constable Stephen Watson said on Friday that one of the [two] deceased victims “would appear to have suffered a wound consistent with a gunshot injury,” according to a preliminary report from the Home Office pathologist.

He said that since the police believed that the suspect, Jihad Al Shamie, did not have a gun, it must have been the police gunfire that hit the victims.

Police admit they shot dead Manchester synagogue victim, as attack puts spotlight on antisemitism in UKhttps://www.cnn.com/2025/10/03/uk/manchester-attack-victim-shot-police-intlOpen linkView original on sopuli.xyz
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usa·United States | News & PoliticsbyZaktor

Protester found not guilty of assault despite top Border Patrol official's testimony

A protester was acquitted Wednesday of charges that he assaulted a federal agent during widespread protests against immigration crackdowns in Los Angeles, just hours after one of the faces of President Trump’s enforcement policies took the stand to testify against him.

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Bovino, who flew in to testify from Chicago, the latest city targeted for an immigration enforcement surge, said he witnessed the alleged assault committed by Ramos-Brito in Paramount on June 7.

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The jury came back with the acquittal after a little over an hour of deliberations.

Protester found not guilty of assault despite top Border Patrol official's testimonyhttps://www.latimes.com/california/story/2025-09-17/immigration-protest-case-trial-los-angelesOpen linkView original on sopuli.xyz
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usa·United States | News & PoliticsbyZaktor

Fascism For First Time Founders

Over the last year or so I’ve seen a disturbing tendency in tech/startup/VC worlds to buy into the neoreactionary view that for startups to be successful they need to get on board the Trump train. Yes, there are the big name folks who everyone knows about and who didn’t really surprise anyone—Peter Thiel, Marc Andreessen, David Sacks, Elon Musk (pre-fallout)—but the more troubling trend has been watching younger entrepreneurs and VCs listen to their podcasts, read their posts and books, and slowly nod along to the idea that democracy is holding back innovation.

The logic might seem compelling at first: regulations slow us down, politicians don’t understand tech, wouldn’t it be better if someone who “gets it” could just cut through all the bureaucratic nonsense? But this line of thinking leads directly to the neoreactionary conclusion that what we really need is a “tech-friendly” strongman to sweep away democratic institutions and let the smart people (spoiler: they mean themselves) run things.

Fascism For First Time Foundershttps://www.techdirt.com/2025/07/17/fascism-for-first-time-founders/Open linkView original on sopuli.xyz
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usa·United States | News & PoliticsbyZaktor

Former Marine reservist charged in Texas ICE facility shooting

A former U.S. Marine Corps reservist has been arrested and charged with attempted murder in connection with an attack at a Texas immigration detention center in which a police officer was shot in the neck, federal prosecutors said Tuesday.

Benjamin Hanil Song, 32, is the latest person charged in the Fourth of July assault in which attackers dressed in black military-style clothing opened fire outside the Prairieland Detention Center in Alvarado, southwest of Dallas, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Texas.

Song, from Dallas, was arrested after a weeklong search and has been charged with three counts of attempted murder of federal agents and three counts of discharging a firearm in relation to a crime of violence, the office said in a statement. He is accused of purchasing four of the guns linked to the attack, it said.

Former Marine reservist charged in Texas ICE facility shootinghttps://www.marinecorpstimes.com/news/your-marine-corps/2025/07/16/former-marine-reservist-charged-in-texas-ice-facility-shooting/Open linkView original on sopuli.xyz
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politics·politics byZaktor

Zohran Mamdani’s victory in NYC mayoral primary leaves Wall Street 'alarmed' and 'depressed'

Mamdani's emphasis on socialism and redistribution of wealth runs counter to Wall Street's preference for unbridled capitalism and policies that support growth, such as deregulation and low taxes. The 33-year-old has supported taxing the ultra-wealthy, financial transactions and passive income like dividends. He has also endorsed a state-level wealth tax and increased marginal income tax rates on high earners.

Hedge fund magnate Bill Ackman said he woke up Wednesday "a bit depressed" by Mamdani's victory. The Pershing Square chief said he's now looking at the logistics for another candidate, not himself, to run.

Lawrence Summers, the former Treasury Secretary and president of Harvard University, also expressed his distaste Mamdani's nomination.

Guys, Bill Ackman and Larry Summers are sad. 😂

Zohran Mamdani’s victory in NYC mayoral primary leaves Wall Street 'alarmed' and 'depressed'https://www.cnbc.com/2025/06/25/mamdanis-nyc-victory-leaves-wall-street-alarmed-and-depressed.htmlOpen linkView original on sopuli.xyz
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politics·politics byZaktor

DNC panel recommends redo of vote that elevated David Hogg to vice chair after procedural concerns

A Democratic National Committee subcommittee on Monday recommended that the organization invalidate one of its February vice-chair votes over claims that it unfairly disadvantaged female candidates.

The move, which won't be official unless the entire DNC votes to approve it, could open up new races for the positions held by David Hogg, a Florida activist, and Malcolm Kenyatta, a Pennsylvania state legislator.

The challenge by Oklahoma Democratic Committeewoman Kalyn Free, who unsuccessfully ran against Hogg and Kenyatta in the February race for vice chair, is not related to the ongoing tension between Hogg and the national party over his push to support primary challenges against incumbent Democrats.

Instead, it was based off Free's claim that the handling of the vice-chair vote gave the two men an unfair advantage amid the national party's requirements that its executive committee achieve gender balance.

DNC panel recommends redo of vote that elevated David Hogg to vice chair after procedural concernshttps://www.nbcnews.com/politics/politics-news/dnc-panel-recommends-redo-vote-david-hogg-malcolm-kenyatta-rcna206337Open linkView original on sopuli.xyz
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