Take, for example, a new poll that asks voters about shaking up how members of Congress are elected.
It found that there’s significant support for chucking winner-take-all U.S. House elections and single-member congressional districts and moving instead toward proportional representation.
This is a system that’s common in most democracies across the globe that elects multiple representatives in a single district in proportion to a party's vote share. It could lead to a breaking up of the U.S.’ two-party system by allowing more political parties to gain representation, something many Americans have been clamoring for.
There is also increasing openness to democratic socialism, which, for a long time, was a sort-of fringe ideology, mostly popular with the left flank of the Democratic Party. However, some recent primary wins signal this ideology is gaining steam among larger swaths of the party.
It’s also appealing to swing voters.
A group of 12 swing voters in Nevada was asked this week whether they would automatically dismiss a candidate that identified as a socialist. Ten said they wouldn’t. These voters supported President Trump in 2024 and many had some notably positive associations with democratic socialism.
It’s an open question as to what this all means for midterm elections this fall, but it does show Americans are considering things they probably wouldn’t have before.
Feds probing mention markets: Federal regulators have launched a review of so-called "mention markets" on prediction market sites, according to two people with direct knowledge of the probe who spoke to NPR on the condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak publicly. The news comes a month after regulators revealed that President Trump's longtime teleprompter operator was using Kalshi to profit from correctly betting on what words the president would or would not utter during public appearances, NPR’s Bobby Allyn reports.
Primary takeaways:Voters sent mixed messages in this week’s primary elections. As NPR’s Maham Javaid reports, the results highlight ongoing conflicts within both parties ahead of the November midterms.
Leavitt leaving: White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt is leaving her role at the end of the month to spend more time with family, President Trump said Wednesday, adding that she will continue to be an outside adviser. Leavitt, 28, was the youngest-ever White House press secretary. She recently returned from parental leave after the birth of her second child in May. Leavitt's departure comes as the president and his party are struggling with voters who disapprove of his handling of the economy and high prices amid the Iran war.
Women could be the deciders in Maine: A rape allegation derailed Democrat Graham Platner’s campaign in the Maine Senate race. Republican incumbent Sen. Susan Collins is facing criticism for her crucial vote to confirm Justice Brett Kavanaugh — which helped pave the way for the Supreme Court to overturn Roe v. Wade in 2022. NPR’s Elena Moore reports on why this race could come down to women voters in the state — who are also looking for relief amid rising prices and economic concerns.
Trump takes on vaccine schedule: President Trump signed another executive order this week aimed at upending the way U.S. children are vaccinated against dangerous infectious diseases. The order calls for reducing the number of childhood vaccines recommended by the federal government from 17 to 11, and also advises breaking the single vaccination for measles, mumps and rubella into separate shots over the course of several visits to the doctor. Public health leaders denounced the order, saying the effectiveness and safety of vaccines have been proven beyond question. NPR’s health team answered five questions parents may have about the guidance.
Going Deeper: Trump’s Stunning Air Force One Switch-Up
Win McNamee/Getty Images
The Washington Post reported this week that President Trump took a secret flight out of Turkey last month amid a potential threat from Iran, employing an elaborate ruse that smuggled him off Air Force One on a catering truck.
A person briefed on the matter told NPR that Israel warned the U.S. of a threat of an Iranian missile attack, prompting Trump to be secretly flown out of Turkey on a different military jet, while Air Force One flew separately, and the White House press corps was clueless.
Millions of people across Europe stepped outside Wednesday to watch a spectacular sunset with a solar eclipse.
The path of totality passed through portions of Greenland, Iceland and Spain and Portugal. It was the first solar eclipse visible from Spain's mainland since 1905, according to the European Space Agency. Take a look.
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