August 4, 2026

Brittney Melton

up first newsletter writer

Good morning. If you're still in a post-World Cup slump, don't worry. The 2027 Women's World Cup is just around the corner, and former U.S. national team star Megan Rapinoe says the tournament "is going to be lit." Here’s the news we’re following today:

Today’s top stories

A man walks near an Abraham Lincoln mural outside a store in Michigan.

Finn Gomez/Getty Images

Kansas, Michigan, Missouri, Virginia, and Washington hold their primary elections today. The spotlight will be on Michigan, where winning an open Senate seat is crucial for Democrats as they vie to regain control of the chamber. Michigan voters will choose between two Democratic candidates who are competing to face Republican former Congressman Mike Rogers in the November midterm elections. Here’s what you should know about the five states holding primaries today.

🎧 NPR's Sam Gringlas tells Up First he has spoken with around 50 voters in the past two weeks, and the conversations have shown him the intensity of this Senate race. He says the race has become a proxy for major debates within the Democratic Party: establishment versus insurgent, further-left versus more moderate, and more. Congresswoman Haley Stevens, who flipped a suburban House district in 2018, is facing Abdul El-Sayed, a former public health official, for the Democratic nomination. Stevens is emphasizing her crossover appeal and support for Michigan manufacturing. El-Sayed champions Medicare for All and wants to eliminate corporate money from politics. Gringlas says the race will help determine if a leftist candidate like El-Sayed can win in a battleground state.

➡️ It's not just Michigan: Democratic elections in Midwest states like Wisconsin and Minnesota have also become pivotal testing grounds to determine whether progressive candidates can win in competitive states.

➡️ There are 36 races for governor this year. Here is a look at how they are shaping up.

The Senate Judiciary Committee is expected to move forward with Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche's confirmation vote today after Republican Sens. John Cornyn and Thom Tillis dropped their objections. Their change of heart came after Blanche provided written confirmation that the controversial $1.8 billion "anti-weaponization fund" established by the Department of Justice would be rescinded. The fund, which was created as part of a settlement deal for a lawsuit Trump filed against the IRS, had been a sticking point in Blanche's confirmation process. Critics pointed out its potential to compensate the president's allies and the Jan. 6 rioters. Blanche also provided written confirmation that a tax immunity deal that was part of the settlement would only apply retroactively to the president, two of his sons and the Trump organization. With the fund off the table, Cornyn and Tillis released a statement yesterday saying they "look forward to voting to advance his nomination out of the Senate Judiciary Committee soon."

🎧 NPR's Ryan Lucas points out that legal experts say neither of the documents Blanche released is legally binding, nor do they provide the guarantees they purport to provide. He adds that these legal experts and some department veterans think there's a long list of other issues that should make Congress question Blanche's leadership, including his handling of the Epstein files.

The Spokane County Sheriff's Department has arrested 37-year-old Aaron Farinacci on charges of first-degree arson in connection with one of the area's most destructive fires. Firefighters in Spokane, Wash., are battling three major wildfires — the Old Trails Fire, Autumn Lane Fire, and Fairview Fire — that have displaced around 65,000 people since last weekend. The fires have burned over 7,000 acres and destroyed approximately 600 homes. Photos from the area show the extent of the devastation.

🎧 Evacuated residents may not be able to return home for days as unpredictable winds pick up, shift direction and threaten neighborhoods, NPR’s Kirk Siegler says. Choking back tears, 54-year-old Charlie Patrick tells Siegler that she doesn't know if she has a home to return to. The Spokane fires ignited in the wildlands outside the city, but winds carried them into neighborhoods, where structures fueled their spread. Spokane has faced hotter, drier conditions due to climate change. Siegler says fire officials in the area have been warning and worried about wildfire risks for years.

After months of investigating, the bipartisan House Ethics Committee published a 20-page report recommending that Rep. Chuck Edwards (R-N.C.) be censured because of Edwards' "persistent unprofessional and inappropriate conduct towards two young female staffers." The committee said it did not find any evidence that the congressman propositioned or engaged in sexual activity with his staffers. The congressman's lawyers argued that the panel did not show that the staffers communicated their discomfort to Edwards.

Local stories from WAMU 88.5 (edit station)

Maryland State Senate President Bill Ferguson and House Speaker Joseline A. Peña-Melnyk start the special session in Annapolis focused on redistricting.

WAMU/Jenny Abamu

WAMU's Week Ahead: Maryland special session on redistricting, Virginia primary elections and D.C. jazz singer Akua Allrich

This week WAMU will be checking in on the special session in Maryland to pass a bill to redraw the state's congressional maps, the delayed Virginia primary elections, and D.C. jazz singer Akua Allrich and her new album with deep roots in the African diaspora community.

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Picture show

An underwater photo showing a coral reef and a small shark.

Claire Harbage/NPR

Far out in the Pacific Ocean are tiny islands that few have seen. These pristine epicenters of biodiversity are teeming with life, from thriving coral reefs to sharks and seabird colonies. The Trump administration is now opening some of these waters — much of which are safeguarded as U.S. marine national monuments and sanctuaries — to commercial fishing. Hawaii's fishing fleet supports the move. People in the industry say they're facing increasing competition and rising diesel costs, and that opening the Pacific Marine Monument waters could give them more opportunities. But many Native Hawaiian cultural groups oppose this decision, viewing the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands as sacred. Conservationists also warn that, amid climate change, these marine areas require the highest level of protection to sustain their vibrant ecosystems.

📷 This area, far out in the Pacific Ocean, rarely gets visitors ... but NPR journalists went and documented the wildlife there. See the images from their visit now on the NPR app.

Today's listen

A young boy in a blue coat smiles as he stands next to a man in a gray coat who is crouched beside him.

Beck Harlan for NPR

Seven-year-old Khalib Townsend is a first-grader with a huge love for nature and big dreams of becoming a conservation scientist. To help keep his early passion for science alive, NPR connected Khalib with someone who does his dream job: Keith Russell, a conservation scientist at the Audubon Discovery Center in Philadelphia. This spring, they went on a bird walk along the Discovery Center's nature trail, and Townsend got to interview Russell all about his career. NPR tagged along on the journey. Listen to their conversation and read about how the interview went.

3 things to know before you go

U.S. men's national team coach Mauricio Pochettino holds his fist up.

Martin Meissner/AP

1

Mauricio Pochettino has signed a new contract to remain the coach of the U.S. men's national soccer team through the 2030 FIFA World Cup, U.S. Soccer announced.

2

Two people in Michigan have died from the cyclosporiasis outbreak that began in May, according to Michigan's Department of Health and Human Services.