Michigan Senate primary too close to call; Armed man arrested at Trump golf club

Michigan’s Democratic Senate primary is still too close to call after a night of razor-thin returns, with election officials continuing to count thousands of ballots.

Plus, new reporting details how deeply the war with Iran has drawn down key U.S. missile stockpiles, even as the Pentagon insists the military has what it needs.

And President Donald Trump orders a do-over on the White House’s new helipad after deciding weeks of construction weren’t good enough.

These stories and more highlight your Unbiased Updates for Wednesday, Aug. 5, 2026.

Key Michigan Senate race too close to call as tallies from Democratic primary still being counted

One of the nation’s most closely watched primaries still hasn’t been decided.

The race for the Democratic nomination for U.S. Senate remains too close to call, with progressive Abdul El-Sayed holding a narrow lead over moderate Rep. Haley Stevens. Election officials are still counting ballots, and both campaigns say the process could continue throughout the day.

One thing the candidates do agree on is that whoever emerges will need a united party in November.

“Whatever happens tonight, we have a responsibility to assure that we are united, to make sure that Mike Rogers never sees the inside of the U.S. Senate,” el-Sayed said.

Stevens said, “We have got to wake up and be ready to go because if we are going to win this thing, which we are, we are going to have to get ready and show Mike Rogers what a little stick it to ’em looks like.”

Meanwhile, Sunrise Movement co-founder William Lawrence won the Democratic primary in Michigan’s 7th congressional district. He’ll face Republican incumbent Tom Barrett in one of the country’s key House battlegrounds this fall.

In the 4th district, Trump-backed Republican Bill Huizenga will face Democratic state Sen. Sean McCann in November.

And in the open 10th district created by Republican John James’ run for governor, Trump-endorsed Army veteran Mike Bouchard will face Democrat Christina Hines, a former special victims prosecutor. James won the GOP nomination for governor, so he’ll face off against Democratic Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson.

Man arrested at Trump club after search of car uncovered loaded gun and ammunition

Two days before Trump visited his Southern California golf club, authorities arrested an armed man they say had been watching security preparations.

The Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department identified the man as 38-year-old Jeanine John Taele of Downey, California.

Deputies responded after plainclothes federal agents flagged his behavior at the Trump National Golf Club in Rancho Palos Verdes.

Authorities said Taele was carrying a 16-round magazine loaded with hollow-point ammunition, and a search of his vehicle turned up a loaded pistol with a round in the chamber along with a second loaded magazine.

CBS News reported Taele told club employees he worked for the State Department and wanted to meet Secretary of State Marco Rubio.

Investigators said that claim was false.

In a search of his home, police recovered body armor, high-capacity magazines, bulk ammunition and two guns, including an illegally modified AR-style rifle and a 1911 .45-caliber pistol.

Federal prosecutors have charged Taele with possession of an unregistered short-barreled rifle. He also faces a separate Los Angeles County case that includes a 2025 robbery charge, along with two weapons offenses stemming from this investigation.

Investigators have not disclosed a motive.

The FBI’s joint terrorism task force, the U.S. Secret Service and local authorities continue to investigate.

Trump visited the club Tuesday for a Republican National Committee fundraiser.

Senate moves Blanche forward as Democrats warn controversial fund could return

The Senate is expected to take up Todd Blanche’s nomination for attorney general some time this week after Republicans cleared the biggest hurdle to his confirmation Tuesday.

The Senate Judiciary Committee advanced Trump’s nomination on a party-line vote after two Republican holdouts agreed to support him.

The breakthrough came after Blanche formally rescinded the controversial $1.8 billion “Anti-Weaponization Fund,” and narrowed a separate tax immunity provision that had raised concerns among Republican Sens. John Cornyn and Thom Tillis.

Cornyn told members he voted for Blanche because, “The Department of Justice does not need a temporary, unconfirmed nominee as our nation’s top law enforcement official. Trump needs someone in this role, as well, with a strong legal mind.” 

Democrats argue those written assurances don’t go far enough, saying a future Justice Department order could bring the fund back, and noting the government still has other ways to compensate people who claim they were targeted by the federal government.

“Senate Republicans again just rubber-stamp Trump’s corruption with their vote to advance Todd Blanche from the Judiciary Committee,” Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., said.  “Make no mistake, Blanche has no intention of stopping Trump’s corruption. He spent his whole career enabling it.”

Sen. Dick Durbin, D-Ill.,  told members, “The cop beaters fund can easily be revived with a new order from the Department of Justice 15 minutes after MR. Blanche is confirmed as attorney general.”

With Republicans holding a 53-to-47 seat majority, Blanche appears to have a clear path to confirmation when the full Senate takes up his nomination.

Reports warn US missile stockpiles are thinning, leaving key weapons in short supply

The U.S. has reportedly burned through some of its most advanced missiles faster than it can replace them as the war with Iran continues.

According to multiple reports, the U.S. has used nearly its entire stockpile of long-range precision missiles since Operation Epic Fury began on February 28th. Sources told CBS News the military has fired virtually all of its Army tactical missile systems, along with its newer precision-strike missiles.

Reuters reported the Pentagon’s latest assessment also shows that THAAD and Patriot air defense missiles are being used faster than they can be replaced. The report said the U.S. has expended about 80 percent of its THAAD interceptors and roughly half of its Patriot missiles.

EXCLUSIVE: The U.S. has used “virtually all” of its precision strike missiles during the war in Iran. Stockpiles on ATACMs and Precision Strike Missiles are almost depleted. And we have used about half of our Tomahawks, per new data circulating inside the admin.

— Erin Banco (@ErinBanco) August 4, 2026

However, the Pentagon has pushed back on any suggestion the military is running short.

Chief spokesman Sean Parnell told CBS News, “America’s military is the most powerful in the world and has everything it needs to execute at the time and place of the president’s choosing … The U.S. military possesses a deep arsenal of capabilities to protect our people and our interests.”

Trump orders helipad redo, forcing contractors to scrap weeks of work

After deciding a new helipad under construction didn’t look right, Trump ordered a major do-over at the White House. The Washington Post first reported that Trump, frustrated with the project’s appearance, told contractors to redo weeks of work.

According to the Post, the president wants the new helipad to appear level with the horizon, even though the south lawn itself slopes downhill. Photos show crews have already removed part of a granite presidential seal being installed as they rework the project.

The helipad is part of a broader series of changes underway at the White House, where construction crews are also working on other renovation projects around the grounds.

Last month, Trump told reporters it’s time for a change:

“During my administration, they ordered brand new helicopters. The big ones, the ones for the president, it’s called Marine One. And our other Marine One is about 40 years old. They’re old, like Air Force One. You know, it’s time to make a change. And other presidents wouldn’t do that because I think it’s not good to make a change to luxury. But you got to do it.”

Crews are building the new pad to accommodate the next generation of Marine One helicopters, whose exhaust is hot enough to damage the south lawn.

Lockheed Martin, which owns the company that makes the presidential helicopters, is funding the project, estimated to cost more than $5 million.

Guatemala’s Fuego volcano erupts

Central America’s most active volcano is erupting again. Guatemala’s Fuego volcano has forced evacuations and shelter-in-place orders, raising fears of dangerous mudslides.

Incredible images from San Juan Alotenango show glowing volcanic rock, ash and gas erupting from the crater overnight. Falling ash has made conditions dangerous, and mudflows stretching more than four miles down the mountain have done the same.

About 30,000 people in communities below the volcano have been affected, with hundreds evacuated to emergency shelters.

The eruption began Monday morning, prompting Guatemalan officials to raise the alert level to red and warn that the next 72 hours will be critical. Forecast rain could make the mudflows even more dangerous.

Fuego, which translates to “volcano of fire,” is one of the region’s most active volcanoes. In 2018, a major eruption destroyed an entire village and killed hundreds of people.

More from Straight Arrow:

Smartwatches are getting smarter. Is healthcare ready?

When the first activity trackers hit the market in the 1960s, they did one thing: counted steps. In the 1980s and 1990s, athletes started wearing heart-rate monitors. In the early 2000s, tech companies like Fitbit and Garmin added GPS features, allowing runners and cyclists to track speed, distance and pace. Wearable technology expanded from shoe-mounted sensors and chest straps to armbands and wristwatches. 

Today, a single smartwatch — or smart ring — can continuously monitor heart rate, stress, physical activity and dozens of other metrics. Some can even detect irregular heart rhythms or early signs of illness. 

Researchers increasingly see these devices as something far more ambitious than fitness gadgets. They envision a future where artificial intelligence combines wearable data with blood tests, genomics and other biomarkers to detect disease earlier, personalize treatment and shift medicine from reacting to illness to preventing it. 

“They’re amazing,” said Michael Snyder, a professor of genetics at Stanford Medicine who has spent years studying wearable devices and famously wears four different smartwatches, two smart rings and an exposometer to measure airborne exposures. “They track your health 24/7 as long as you keep them charged.”

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