Massie falls to Trump ally; Cassidy flips on Iran

Cassidy flips – Rep. Thomas Massie was unseated in Kentucky’s Republican primary by Trump-backed former Navy SEAL Ed Gallrein, while Sen. Bill Cassidy crossed party lines on a Senate measure aimed at curbing President Donald Trump’s Iran war powers. Both developments undersco

For President Donald Trump, Tuesday night in Kentucky wasn’t just another primary result. It was a direct hit against one of his most persistent Republican critics—played out in the kind of campaign where outside money and endorsements did more than change a margin. They changed a seat.

Rep. Thomas Massie. R-Ky. lost his Republican primary to Trump-backed challenger and former Navy SEAL Ed Gallrein in what was described as the most expensive U.S. House primary ever. Gallrein’s campaign received a boost from Trump’s endorsement and from heavy outside spending. including major support from pro-Israel groups that AdImpact said accounted for about half of the money spent to help his candidacy.

Massie framed the race as a test of whether his opponents could force him to bend his convictions—especially on Iran. He has been one of the GOP’s most consistent critics of U.S. involvement in the war with Iran, a position that repeatedly made him a target of attacks from President Trump. In his concession remarks. Massie said he “would have come out sooner. ” but needed time “to call my opponent and concede” and “it took a while to find Ed Gallrein in Tel Aviv.”.

Massie said the campaign used “a lot of dirty tricks,” but he insisted, “we stayed the course.” He added that his team “did not” “bend the knee,” and “we didn’t throw a foul ball” and “we didn’t kneecap anybody.”

In closing, Massie told supporters, “They tried to buy my vote. They couldn’t buy it.” In the concession speech, he said, “We weren’t really running against Ed Gallrein. We weren’t running against Donald Trump. We were running for what we believe in.”

Massie’s term does not end until January, meaning he will still have several more months on Capitol Hill—time enough to clash again with the Trump administration.

Not far away on the ballot, another Trump-backed win landed in Kentucky’s Senate politics. Rep. Andy Barr won the Republican primary for Mitch McConnell’s open Senate seat and will face Democrat Charles Booker in November.

The pressure in this election cycle extended well beyond Kentucky. In Georgia, voters pushed both the Republican governor’s race and the GOP Senate primary into runoffs. Former college football coach Derek Dooley and Congressman Mike Collins advanced in the Senate race after Congressman Buddy Carter fell short. and whoever emerges will face Democratic incumbent Jon Ossoff in one of the most-watched Senate races of the midterms. Georgia’s governor’s nomination runoff will be between Lt. Gov. Burt Jones and healthcare billionaire Rick Jackson.

In Alabama, voters set up a familiar showdown for governor: Republican Tommy Tuberville will face former Democratic Sen. Doug Jones, six years after Tuberville defeated Jones for his U.S. Senate seat.

On the Senate floor, the fight over Iran authorization moved in a different direction—one that immediately drew attention to shifting loyalties within the GOP.

Tuesday. the Senate took a step toward reigning in President Trump’s war powers in Iran by moving forward a measure that had failed seven times before. The resolution passed the chamber on a 50-47 vote and would require the president to pull U.S. forces from the conflict unless Congress formally authorizes the war.

Four Republicans broke with their party to help advance it, including Sen. Bill Cassidy, R-La. Cassidy’s vote came just days after he lost his primary to a Trump-backed challenger—an outcome that is already turning heads on Capitol Hill.

Cassidy has criticized the information Congress has received about the administration’s Iran campaign. In a statement posted May 19. Cassidy wrote: “While I support the administration’s efforts to dismantle Iran’s nuclear program. the White House and Pentagon have left Congress in the dark on Operation Epic Fury. In Louisiana, I’ve heard from people, including President Trump’s supporters, who are concerned about this war.”.

Democrats argued the president cannot continue military operations without clear approval from Congress. Some Republicans counter that active hostilities have largely ended.

But the resolution is not near the finish line. It must survive at least two more Senate votes and pass the House, which rejected a similar measure last week. Even if it clears Congress, Trump is expected to veto it.

Taken together, Kentucky’s primary shock and Cassidy’s vote on Iran authorization landed in the same political moment: one side of the Republican Party pushing to reward loyalty with power, the other still trying to hold the president to congressional constraints.

In the background of those debates, lawmakers and critics were also focused on a separate fight over the Justice Department’s settlement with the IRS and a new anti-weaponization fund tied to claims from the Biden administration era.

Newly released language would bar the IRS from pursuing claims or examinations involving Trump, his family, or related businesses. Investigators discovered the new terms Tuesday in an addendum linked to the Justice Department’s settlement announcement.

Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche wrote that the federal government is “Forever barred and precluded from prosecuting or pursuing. any and all claims” asserted by the IRS against Trump. his family. or his business. The language covers tax matters involving Trump, family members, trusts, companies, and other related entities.

The addendum expands on a Monday agreement that created a roughly $1.8 billion fund for people who claim they were targeted by government “Weaponization” during the Biden administration. Vice President JD Vance pushed back on criticism that the fund or agreement benefits the president personally. saying on Tuesday: “The question is. is a dollar of this money going to the Trump administration?. No. Is a dollar of this money going to Donald Trump personally?. No. Is a dollar of this money going to Donald Trump’s family?. No. … The people that would get the money are people. some of whom have been prosecuted completely disproportionate to any crime they’ve ever committed.”.

Acting Attorney General Blanche also defended the agreement during congressional testimony. saying. “It is true that this is unusual. that is true. but it is not unprecedented. and it was done to address something that had never happened again either.” He added. “So there is an impressive nature of what we did yesterday in response to years and years of weaponization.”.

Associate Attorney General Stanley Woodward said it is too soon to pass judgment on the new fund. telling reporters. “I think that it’s way. way. way too early for us to rush to judgment on whether this was a good or a bad idea to describe it as a slush fund. or really even to criticize it.” He pointed out that “there’s not been a single claim filed” and “there’s not been a single payment made.”.

Critics reacted sharply. Sen. Chris Murphy. D-Conn. said the judge in the case called it corrupt because Trump was essentially “suing himself.” Murphy said $1.7 billion is “a lot of money” and described it as taxpayer funds going “into a political slush fund for the president to give to January 6th rioters” and to “hand out to his political allies around the country.”.

Massachusetts Democrat Richard Neal accused Trump of turning the federal government into “his personal protection racket,” writing on X: “This corruption marks a dark day for democracy.”

In the day’s other news, the FBI said it has traced the path of suspects in a deadly San Diego mosque shooting and described what it says was online self-radicalization by the two accused teenagers.

Investigators said 17-year-old Cain Clark and 18-year-old Caleb Vazquez met online and self-radicalized. The FBI said it found evidence the pair drew inspiration from previous mass shooters, including the gunman who carried out the 2019 Christchurch mosque attack in New Zealand.

Authorities said Clark and Vazquez filmed Monday’s attack and posted it online. and that they left behind what the FBI described as a manifesto before taking their own lives. Mark Remily. the lead FBI agent in charge. said the vehicle used and “writings and various ideologies” outlined religious and racial beliefs. and that “These subjects did not discriminate on who they hated.”.

Investigators said the writings included anti-semitic rhetoric and hate directed at Muslims, the LGBTQ+ community, Black people, women, and people across the political spectrum. Authorities said both expressed beliefs about white people being replaced or eliminated.

As the community mourned three men killed, mosque security guard Amin Abdullah was being hailed as a hero after investigators said he triggered a lockdown alert at the mosque’s school and confronted the attackers, actions police say may have saved countless lives.

Before the week ends, another case rooted in the past is set to move forward in court.

The U.S. is preparing criminal charges against former Cuban President Raúl Castro, Fidel Castro’s brother, in a case from 30 years ago. The Justice Department and the FBI are expected to announce criminal charges Wednesday morning.

Reports said U.S. officials plan to accuse Cuba’s leadership of ordering the shoot-down of civilian planes in 1996.

The two “Brothers to the Rescue” aircraft had departed from Florida and were part of a group conducting missions to support Cubans trying to leave the island. Cuba’s Air Force shot down both planes over international waters, killing four Cuban Americans.

NBC News reported a grand jury has already returned an indictment, though the specific charges have not been disclosed. Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche is expected to attend Wednesday’s announcement in Miami, home to one of the country’s largest Cuban-American communities.

The case comes as the U.S. increases pressure on Cuba’s government. which has faced deep economic struggles that include fuel shortages. repeated blackouts. and growing poverty. Just last week. CIA Director John Ratcliffe traveled to Cuba and met with officials from the country’s interior ministry. where he said the U.S. was prepared to engage on security and economic issues.

There was also lighter news, even as politics remained the dominant theme. In Bangladesh, a rare albino buffalo has gained fame because of its unusual resemblance to President Donald Trump. Weighing around 1. 500 pounds. the buffalo drew crowds after photos and videos took off online. with visitors stopping by to see it in person ahead of Eid al-Adha.

The buffalo, raised on a local farm in Narayanganj, was fed a diet described as consisting of corn. People said the comparison comes from its blonde hair, the face, and even the hairstyle. One man said he thought the comparison was exaggerated until he saw the buffalo for himself. Another woman said the resemblance is “exactly like Trump. ” while adding one important difference: she described the buffalo as “very calm and polite.”.

The political headlines moved from Kentucky’s primary results to a Senate vote on Iran war powers. but the core story threaded through all of it: power is being allocated fast. and members of Congress are being forced—sometimes publicly. sometimes in the dark—to decide what they will stand for when the stakes are immediate.

Thomas Massie Ed Gallrein Kentucky primary Donald Trump Bill Cassidy Iran war powers Operation Epic Fury Senate resolution anti-weaponization fund IRS settlement Raúl Castro charges San Diego mosque shooting