Trump-backed mortgage banker defeats pilot in GOP primary runoff to replace Wesley Hunt
Trump-backed Republican Jon Bonck won the GOP runoff Tuesday for Texas’ 38th Congressional District, putting him on track to succeed Rep. Wesley Hunt in a solidly Republican Houston-area seat. Bonck defeated Shelly deZevallos, a pilot and president of the West Houston Airport, after finishing far ahead of the March primary field but falling just short of the majority needed to win the nomination outright. He led the first round with 47.7% of the vote, while deZevallos advanced to the runoff with 18.6%, according to Ballotpedia’s results from the early-March primary contest. TRUMP’S SHADOW LOOMS OVER TEXAS RACE AS HUNT ACCUSES CORNYN OF BETRAYAL Bonck will advance to face Democrat Melissa McDonough in the November general election, though Republicans are expected to be heavily favored in Texas’ 38th Congressional District, with Cook Political Report rating the Houston-area seat Solid Republican. The race became an open-seat contest after Hunt, who was first elected in 2022, opted against seeking another House term and instead launched a U.S. Senate bid. Bonck graduated from Louisiana State University in 2009 with a degree in biochemistry, according to his LinkedIn profile. He is currently a mortgage industry manager in the Houston area. TEXAS DEM NOMINEE JAMES TALARICO INVOKES FAITH TO DEFEND ABORTION RIGHTS, ‘THE BIBLE IS SILENT ON ABORTION’ Endorsed by President Donald Trump and Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, Bonck campaigned as a Christian conservative, family man and described himself on his campaign website as “not a political celebrity” but rather a “servant leader.” He also touts endorsements from Reps. Brandon Gill, R-Texas, and Morgan Luttrell, R-Texas, on his campaign website. In a candidate questionnaire, from earlier this month ahead of the runoff, Bonck listed affordability, immigration and public safety as the three biggest challenges facing the Houston-area district he is hoping to represent. Meanwhile, he said putting America first “means securing the border, stopping blank checks to foreign countries, cutting waste and regulation, lowering costs, and empowering families.” Bonck also added that government “should get out of the way so small businesses can grow and parents can lead their children’s education and healthcare decisions.”
Texas Democrats pick lieutenant governor nominee to challenge GOP incumbent Dan Patrick
DALLAS — Texas Democratic voters selected state Rep. Vikki Goodwin as their nominee for lieutenant governor Tuesday night, defeating Marcos Vélez in the party’s primary runoff and setting up a November showdown against Republican incumbent Dan Patrick. The contest became a test of what direction Texas Democrats want to take in the general election. Goodwin, who took office in 2019, campaigned on boosting public school funding and teacher pay, expanding Medicaid, investing in water infrastructure and repealing Texas’ abortion ban. Meanwhile, Vélez, who worked in Texas refineries and is a member of the United Steelworkers union, centered his campaign on property tax relief, raising the minimum wage and affordability measures aimed at working families and seniors. ‘PUT US DOWN FOR KEN PAXTON’: TRUMP ENDORSEMENT ENERGIZES TEXAS VOTERS AHEAD OF RUNOFF The lieutenant governor’s office presides over the Senate, controls the chamber’s agenda, appoints committee chairs and can break tie votes — powers that give the position major influence over which bills reach the governor’s desk. The lieutenant governor also helps craft the state budget as co-chair of the Legislative Budget Board and serves on the Legislative Redistricting Board, which redraws political maps if lawmakers fail to do so. Polls closed across Texas at 7 p.m. Tuesday, with turnout expected to be significantly lower than during the March primary election. TRUMP FLEXES MAGA MUSCLE IN TEXAS SENATE RUNOFF CLASH BETWEEN CORNYN AND PAXTON During his decade as lieutenant governor, Patrick has pushed the Legislature steadily to the right and built a strong network of Republican allies within the Senate. Political observers say his defeat in November would create a major power vacuum in Texas Republican politics and significantly reshape dynamics inside the Legislature. Still, while the lieutenant governor currently holds sweeping authority, much of that power comes from Senate rules approved at the start of each legislative session. If a Democrat were to win office in November, the Republican-controlled Senate could move to rewrite those rules and reduce the lieutenant governor’s powers, potentially altering how the chamber operates.
GOP veteran defeats populist candidate in one of America’s most conservative districts
Republican veteran strategist Tom Sell defeated populist, MAGA-style candidate Abraham Enriquez in a primary runoff race in a Texas congressional district known as one of the most conservative in the country. Sell, a Republican strategist with years of agricultural consulting experience, beat Enriquez on election night, earning () percent of the vote in the solid red 19th Congressional District in West Texas. A fifth-generation West Texan and businessman, Sell styled himself as an “America-first” “champion for rural America.” He was endorsed by several key House Republican leaders, including Majority Leader Steve Scalise, R-La., Majority Whip Tom Emmer, R-Minn., and Judiciary Committee Chair Jim Jordan, R-Ohio. Sell also earned endorsements from younger congressional Republicans, Reps. Brandon Gill, R-Texas, and Anna Paulina Luna, R-Fla. SCOOP: HOUSE GOP CAMPAIGN ARM LAUNCHES ‘MAGA MAJORITY’ PROGRAM TO BOOST TRUMP-ALIGNED CANDIDATES Meanwhile, Enriquez, a young candidate who cast himself as the anti-establishment contender in the race, earned ()% of the vote. Enriquez, who founded the conservative Hispanic outreach organization Bienvenido, ran on a “pro-Trump,” America-first platform. He was endorsed by Texas Republican Gov. Greg Abbott, Turning Point Action, and the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC). President Donald Trump did not make an endorsement in the race. HOUSE CANDIDATE PREDICTS HISTORIC RISE OF ‘NEW GENERATION’ IN CONGRESS AS PARTIES TARGET KEY DEMOGRAPHIC District 19, which includes vast swaths of West Texas, including Lubbock and Abilene, is considered a Republican stronghold. As a result, Sell’s primary victory virtually guarantees he will succeed outgoing Rep. Jodey Arrington, R-Texas, who is retiring from Congress. Arrington, 53, had been endorsed for re-election by Trump, but he decided not to run again. In a statement announcing his decision, Arrington said, “I have a firm conviction, much like our founders did, that public service is a lifetime commitment, but public office is and should be a temporary stint in stewardship, not a career.” TOP HOUSE COMMITTEE CHAIRMAN REVEALS HE WON’T SEEK RE-ELECTION IN 2026 Sell will face Democratic candidate Kyle Rable, an Army Reserve officer who ran unopposed in the Democratic primary.
MAGA triumph: Trump ally Ken Paxton defeats John Cornyn in bitter Texas GOP primary war
PLANO, TX – President Donald Trump and Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton are the winners in the Lone Star State’s bitter Republican Senate primary battle, which has spanned for more than a year and became the most expensive Senate primary in history. Paxton, who was endorsed by Trump just one week ago, defeated longtime GOP Sen. John Cornyn in Tuesday’s runoff election for the Republican nomination, the Associated Press reports. Paxton now faces off against state Rep. James Talarico — a rising star in the Democratic Party — in the general election in a race that is among a handful that may decide if the Republicans hold their slim 53-47 majority in the Senate. Talarico, who topped progressive star Rep. Jasmine Crockett, a vocal Trump critic, in the March primary, is trying to become the first Democrat in nearly four decades to win a Senate election in Texas. Cornyn, speaking to reporters after the race was called, said, “I’ve always supported the Republican ticket, and I intend to do so again in this general election.” TRUMP FLEXES MAGA MUSCLE IN HIGH-STAKES SENATE SHOWDOWN IN TEXAS Paxton, in his victory speech, delivered an olive branch to the senator and his supporters. “I want to thank John Cornyn for his service to this state. John has dedicated much of his life to serving Texans. He’s worked diligently for years to help Texas and for that spirit of service to the Lone Star State and our nation, I’m very grateful,” Paxton said. And Paxton, in an exclusive interview with Fox News Digital moments after he left the stage, said, “We need to come together as a Republican Party. I think John Cornyn will be a part of that. I think his voters will be too.” Trump targeted Cornyn as “VERY disloyal” as he backed Paxton, a major Trump ally and MAGA firebrand, in the final days of the runoff campaign. The ballot-box showdown in right-leaning Texas served as the latest test of Trump’s immense grip over the Republican Party and the strength of his endorsements in GOP nomination races. The runoff election was held three weeks after Trump’s purging of five state senators in Indiana’s primary who had opposed his push for congressional redistricting, a week and a half after the president helped to oust Sen. Bill Cassidy of Louisiana — who, five and a half years ago, voted to convict Trump in his second impeachment trial — and one week after Trump was instrumental in sending vocal GOP critic Rep. Tom Massie of Kentucky down to defeat in his re-election bid. After sitting on the sidelines for months, Trump last Tuesday backed Paxton. “Ken is a true MAGA Warrior who has ALWAYS delivered for Texas, and will continue to do so in the United States Senate,” Trump wrote in a social media post last Tuesday. Paxton, pointing to Trump, told supporters that “when everyone in Washington told him to abandon me and abandon the people of Texas, he didn’t listen. Instead, President Trump gave me his complete and total endorsement.” And Paxton told Fox News Digital after his victory that “the president’s endorsement is the most valuable endorsement in this country. I’m grateful to have it.” Paxton on Tuesday night quickly turned his fire on Talarico, charging in his speech that “James Talarico is a threat to everything we hold dear in this state and in this country. He’s a threat to our security and our safety. He wants open borders and even said a welcome mat should be at our southern border.” And he told Fox News Digital that “James Talarico doesn’t belong in Texas. We cannot let him be the center of the state of Texas. He fits in California, he does not fit here.” Looking to the general election showdown, Paxton said, “I think we’re going to try to highlight what he actually believes, because the people of Texas need to know what his views are, and whether they are going to support those views. The only way where they can know what he’s really about is to let people know what he said.” Paxton has faced a slew of scandals and legal problems that have battered him over the past decade. In 2023, the Texas House of Representatives voted to impeach Paxton, but he was eventually acquitted of all charges by the state Senate. And Paxton is dealing with a very messy divorce, with his wife citing “biblical grounds” based on “recent discoveries” in filing last year to end their marriage. Talarico’s campaign, posting a mug shot of Paxton on social media, noted: “He was indicted on 3 felony counts for investment fraud. He was reported to the FBI by his own staff for bribery. He was impeached by his own party for corruption.” “Now he’s the Republican nominee for US Senate in Texas. Together we will stop him,” the Talarico campaign vowed. The two heated rivals topped a crowded field of contenders in the early March primary, with Cornyn edging Paxton. But since neither cleared the 50% threshold, the nomination race headed into overtime. Trump, in backing Paxton, said that “John Cornyn is a good man, and I worked well with him, but he was not supportive of me when times were tough.” DEMOCRACY ’26: STAY UP TO DATE WITH THE FOX NEWS ELECTION HUB Pointing to the senator’s past criticism of him, Trump added, “John was very late in backing me in what turned out to be a Historic Run for the Republican Nomination, and then, the Presidency.” Cornyn, in a Fox News Digital interview on the eve of the runoff, emphasized his support for the president and his agenda. “President Trump has called me a friend and a good man, and we’ve worked with him closely for both terms of office,” the senator said. Paxton, who grabbed significant national attention the past dozen years by filing lawsuits against the Obama and Biden administrations, disagreed. “John Cornyn fought Trump on the border. And you can
House Dem who repeatedly tried to impeach Trump toppled in heated Texas race
Texas redistricting claimed a longtime Democratic incumbent Tuesday, as Rep. Christian Menefee defeated Rep. Al Green in a Houston-area runoff that forced two sitting House Democrats into the same race. Rep. Al Green, one of Congress’ most vocal Trump antagonists, lost his Democratic runoff Tuesday to fellow Texas Rep. Christian Menefee after redistricting scrambled Houston-area congressional lines. The race for Texas’ solidly Democratic 18th Congressional District was an incumbent-on-incumbent Democratic clash, with Green and Menefee both trying to preserve their places in Congress after redistricting altered the congressional districts around Houston. In Texas, it is mandated by law that if no candidate has captured a majority of the vote during a primary, the race will head to a runoff election. Menefee received 46% of votes and Green 44.2% following the early-March primary. Green has been among President Donald Trump’s fiercest critics in Congress, pursuing impeachment charges on multiple occasions against him during both of Trump’s terms. Green has been kicked out of Trump’s State of the Union addresses multiple times as well for standing up and protesting amid the speech. Following the close March primary, Fox News Digital caught up with Green on Capitol Hill, during which the longtime congressman cited $1.5 million in spending against his campaign by the crypto-industry as a major driver behind the closeness of his race. At the same time, Green slammed Menefee, over his alleged lack of experience and failure to show up for votes early in his congressional career following his tenure as an attorney. Meneffee is a fresher face in Washington who ran on bringing a new face to Congress to combat Trump and Republicans. “A former commercial litigation lawyer from a military family, Mr. Menefee had been mentioned as a potential statewide candidate. His decision to run for Congress instead underscored what many Democrats have acknowledged: that the prospects for breaking the Republican hold on state politics in Texas appeared dim for Democrats in the short term,” Menefee said in a post to his website last March. Menefee will take on Republican Ronald Whitfield in the November general election, though Menefee is strongly favored in the heavily-Democratic Houston-area district.
Cost of living crisis reshapes Eid spending in Nigeria
Abuja, Nigeria – Seated on a plastic chair inside his modest madrassa in Abuja, Yunus Akanji listened as children recited verses from the holy Quran in soft, rhythmic tones. Some sat on mats, others on long wooden benches. The Islamic teacher occasionally corrected a pronunciation or repeated a line, but his attention drifted. For years, Akanji, who teaches at the Nurul Bayan Islamic School, travelled with his wife and children to Saki in Oyo State to reunite with his extended family for Eid al-Adha, often called Sallah in Nigeria. When he did not make the trip, he would buy a ram for Eid and host a modest celebration with his family and students. This year, neither is happening. Yunus Akanji, an Islamic tutor at Nurul Bayan Islamic School, guides his students during recitation of the Quran [Hussain Wahab/Al Jazeera] “I have concluded that we will just celebrate with whatever we have,” he told Al Jazeera. The annual Muslim festival, marked by communal prayers and the ritual sacrifice of animals, is approaching amid deep economic strain in Nigeria. In Abuja, rising food and transport costs are quietly changing how many families are preparing for Eid. No travel home Akanji said even parents and community members who usually support his madrassa are struggling. “Most of them have not even paid,” he said, referring to tuition fees that help keep the school and his household running. The pressure is not confined to the classroom. It shows up in bus stations, in markets, and in the small calculations people make before deciding whether to travel or stay. Advertisement Nafisa Ibrahim from Ogun, currently in Abuja doing a mandatory one-year programme for graduates under the National Youth Service Corps, said she has dropped her plan to go home for Eid. Transport costs alone made it impossible. There is also no guarantee her family will even be able to slaughter an animal this year. “Transportation is about 35,000 naira [about $26], compared to the 15,000 naira [about $11] I paid when I came to Abuja in February,” she said. Opeyemi Ibrahim, a fashion designer based in Byazhin district, said customer patronage has dropped sharply despite the approaching festivities. Opeyemi Ibrahim at his fashion shop in Byazhin, where he says business has slowed [Hussain Wahab/Al Jazeera] He said rising fuel costs and erratic electricity supply have pushed up his operating expenses. “When there is no electricity, we have to run the generator,” he said. “Filling it costs about 10,000 naira [$7]. But without it, the shop becomes too hot, and we still need power to iron customers’ clothes.” Inside Kubwa livestock market At a livestock market in Kubwa, visited by Al Jazeera ahead of Eid, the strain is obvious before anyone even speaks. Men stand beside rams tied to wooden posts. Buyers move from one animal to another, ask a few questions, then drift away. Malam Ibrahim, a livestock seller who has been in the trade for years, sat near the feed, watching most of his customers leave empty-handed. “People come, ask for prices, and walk away,” he said. Malam Ibrahim, a livestock seller at Kubwa market, rests during a slow sales day [Hussain Wahab/Al Jazeera] He pointed to a ram nearby, with black-and-white markings on its body. “This ram is selling for 600,000 naira [about $438],” he said. “Last year, the same size was below 350,000 naira [$255].” Getting animals down from northern Nigeria, Sokoto, Kaduna and beyond, has become more expensive. Fuel prices, transport fares, everything feeds into the final cost. “Even the sellers are suffering,” Ibrahim said. If sales stay slow, he worries the animals will remain unsold after Eid, when their value drops further. “We do not pray to take them back home, but with the looks of things, I fear so,” he said. Eid cutbacks One woman who had come to buy two rams left with only one. Buhari Yishau, a fruit seller, works at Kubwa village market, where sales have slowed ahead of Eid [Hussain Wahab/Al Jazeera] Inflation has been steady in Nigeria for years now, but what people feel most is the gap between rising prices and stagnant incomes. The naira may look more stable against the United States dollar than last year, traders say, but moving goods across the country still costs more every month. Advertisement At Kubwa village market, buyers kept moving, but few stopped to buy. Vendors selling tomatoes, onions, rice and cooking oil said sales were slower than usual, with many families cutting back even on basic festive food. “We used to celebrate Eid with joy,” one trader said quietly. “Now we just calculate what we can afford.” Adblock test (Why?)
Netanyahu vows to ‘smite’ Hezbollah with ‘overwhelming’ force
NewsFeed Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu vows to ‘smite’ Hezbollah with ‘overwhelming’ force following a drone attack that killed an Israeli soldier in Northern Israel. A total of 23 Israeli soldiers have been killed by Hezbollah fighters since March. Published On 26 May 202626 May 2026 Click here to share on social media share-nodes Share googleAdd Al Jazeera on Googleinfo Adblock test (Why?)
Istanbul’s Bilgi University reopened after police crackdown
Students celebrated after days of protests against the closure decree that would have shut Bilgi University mid-year. Students at Istanbul’s Bilgi University celebrated after President Recep Tayyip Erdogan reversed a decision to shut down the institution following days of protests and a police crackdown. Published On 26 May 202626 May 2026 Click here to share on social media share-nodes Share googleAdd Al Jazeera on Googleinfo Adblock test (Why?)
Cockroach Janta Party: Founder Abhijeet Dipke moves Delhi HC against blocking of X account
Dipke, whose satirical political outfit became a viral sensation on social media platforms, has also alleged that the party’s Instagram account, website, and backup social media handles were taken down as part of a wider government crackdown on the campaign.
Maine Senate candidate Graham Platner embraces democratic socialism at Bernie Sanders rally in Portland
Maine Senate candidate Graham Platner appeared alongside Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., on Monday and echoed several Sanders-style progressive themes, criticizing five-term Republican Sen. Susan Collins, criticizing and U.S. weapons spending tied to conflicts in Gaza and Iran. Platner, the presumptive Democratic nominee seeking to unseat Collins in November, made the fiery remarks during a “Fighting Oligarchy” rally led by Sanders in Portland — an event aimed at mobilizing progressive activists and expanding grassroots organizing efforts ahead of the midterm elections. The Portland event was one of Sanders’ Maine stops with Platner and gubernatorial candidate Troy Jackson. During the rally, Platner leaned heavily into anti-corporate rhetoric, telling a crowd of cheering progressives they must build a “political revolution” and take back “what is ours.” “We are taking back what is ours. We’re going to take it back from the corporations that seek profit, no matter the cost from the billionaires for whom greed is the point, and from corrupt politicians like Susan Collins, corrupt politicians who have sold us out,” Platner said. ‘MAINE’S MAMDANI’: MAINE GOP CHIEF ISSUES WARNING ABOUT NEW CHALLENGER LOOKING TO OUST SUSAN COLLINS “It is a system that is the politics of Susan Collins, a politics that turns politicians into millionaires, but tells you to be grateful for crumbs.” Throughout the evening, Platner echoed Sanders’ economic talking points, accusing health insurance executives of “lining their pockets with our blood, sweat, and tears.” BERNIE SANDERS TO FORCE SENATE VOTE ON BLOCKING ARMS SALES TO ISRAEL He also made sharp comments regarding the Middle East, claiming American tax dollars are being weaponized to “blow up someone else’s children.” “Our tax dollars can build schools and hospitals in America instead of bombs to drop on them in Gaza and Iran,” he said. Sanders later took the stage and cast Platner’s election as a key moment for the progressive movement, telling supporters, “You elect Graham Platner senator, you’re going to transform America.” The Vermont senator explicitly tied Platner to his tax proposals targeting the ultra-wealthy. “I introduced legislation, which Graham will be by my side in fighting for, which says that we are going to impose a 5% annual wealth tax on 938 billionaires in America,” Sanders said. Sanders introduced legislation earlier this year proposing a 5% annual wealth tax on 938 U.S. billionaires. Platner was also portrayed as an ally in battling major tech billionaires such as Elon Musk and Mark Zuckerberg, warning that a “handful of billionaires” could otherwise control the future of artificial intelligence and robotics. “Graham understands… we are not going to let a handful of billionaires control the future of this country,” Sanders said.