Left wins big in Midwest and Perez Hilton is hospitalized: Morning Rundown

Abdul El-Sayed wins fiercely competitive Michigan Democratic Senate primary race in a big victory for the left. President Trump and Jeanine Pirro clash in a heated meeting. And celebrity blogger Perez Hilton is hospitalized after reports he livestreamed self-harm.

Here’s what to know today.

Takeaways from Abdul El-Sayed’s big win in Michigan

No state or race loomed larger than Michigan’s Democratic Senate primary, in which former public health official Abdul El-Sayed beat Rep. Haley Stevens in a clash of left versus center. El-Sayed, who was backed by Sen. Bernie Sanders and Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, pushed for “Medicare for All,” condemned money in politics and criticized Stevens for supporting aid to Israel.

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He will face former Rep. Mike Rogers in November in a race that is expected to be one of the most competitive in the country and could determine which party controls the Senate.

Tuesday’s primary elections offered fresh clues about the direction of the Democratic Party and how several leading figures are wielding their influence.

While left-wing candidates have advanced in this year’s Democratic primaries in New York and Colorado, Michigan represented the first test of whether those successes were transferable to a different sort of playing field — like a purple Midwestern state.

The question now for El-Sayed, given his thin margin of victory, is if he can unify a divided Democratic party.

Read the full story for more election night takeaways.

In a new subscriber-exclusive newsletter, NBC News’ chief data ***yst Steve Kornacki will get into the numbers, trends and data shaping the biggest stories heading into the midterms. Subscribe to read The Data Dive.

More election results:

• Rep. Chuck Edwards, R-N.C. has said he is dropping his bid for re-election, days after the House Ethics Committee recommended censure over blockual harblockment allegations.

• Trump-endorsed Rep. John James won Michigan’s Republican nomination for governor. He’ll face state Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson, the winner of the Democratic primary.

• Rep. Wesley Bell defeated former Rep. Cori Bush in a Democratic primary rematch in the St. Louis-based district.

• Trump-backed state Senate President Ty Masterson won the Republican nomination for Kansas governor, while state Sen. Cindy Holdscher won the Democratic nomination.

SpaceX hit by surging AI costs

The S&P 500 and the Dow hit record highs yesterday after investors were reblockured by strong forecasts from Caterpillar — seen as a bellwether for the global industrial economy — and Palantir, thanks to gains from AI. Promising results from AI-linked companies, such as Microsoft and Amazon, have also left investors feeling confident.

But investors weren’t as convinced by SpaceX’s first-ever quarterly update, which caused shares to fall because of concerns over how much it has spent on its xAI unit — billions more than expected. The rocket company’s AI spending is also fueling speculation that it may attempt to merge with Tesla.

SpaceX’s “lockup period” is set to expire today, when up to 20% of the total shares held by insiders may be sold on the open market.

More on SpaceX’s AI spending.

Related economic coverage:

• McDonald’s reported its slowest U.S. sales growth in over a year, as its push for value items fell flat among consumers still struggling with higher prices.

Jeanine Pirro’s future is unclear after heated meeting with Trump

Jeanine Pirro’s future as U.S. attorney for the District of Columbia is uncertain after she “had it out” with President Donald Trump reportedly during a contentious White House meeting on Monday. The clash followed Pirro’s decision to drop a felony case accusing a former Olympic canoeist of vandalizing the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool, according to a source. But Trump stopped short of firing her.

The source, who was briefed on the meeting, said Trump remained “pretty furious” with Pirro a day later. Pirro reportedly brought evidentiary doblockents to the meeting in an effort to rebut Trump’s claims that she was responsible for the case’s collapse.

Why the standoff puts more pressure on Pirro.

More politics news:

• Attorneys for the former Olympic canoeist who had been charged in a felony Reflecting Pool case are seeking to permanently sink it.
• For subscribers: The Pentagon is drafting a new U.S. nuclear strategy that emphasizes the possible use of shorter-range tactical weapons in case of a regional war with China or Russia, sources say.

• For subscribers: As Todd Blanche’s nomination for attorney general is advanced, some critics and DOJ veterans say he has shown a willingness to comport with Trump’s demands for loyalty.

• Rep. Max Miller has requested the House Ethics Committee investigate domestic abuse allegations made by his ex-wife.

Man arrested at Trump golf club days before president’s visit

A 38-year-old man who appeared to be “monitoring security-planning activities” at the Los Angeles-area Trump National Golf Course was arrested days before yesterday’s planned presidential visit, police said.

Deputies found a loaded magazine with hollow-point bullets in Jeanine John Taele’s pants pocket and weapons in his vehicle, as well as at his home, which was searched on Monday, the sheriff’s department said. Authorities also said they discovered “multiple notebooks containing concerning statements” at Taele’s home. A federal judge said that Taele has been charged with possession of an unregistered short-barreled rifle.

What authorities observed before Taele’s arrest.

Perez Hilton hospitalized after reports of self-harm, officials say

Police said they attended the Miami-area home of celebrity blogger Perez Hilton after they received reports that he engaged in self-harm in a livestreamed video on TikTok yesterday. In a follow-up statement, the Miami-Dade Sheriff’s Office said the person was “safely recovered” and taken to a local hospital, where he was receiving medical attention. It said deputies spoke to family members at the scene, who confirmed the person had been alone inside the residence.

Here’s what else we know.

Staff Pick: They made a living on Russia’s Amazon. Ukrainian attacks have sent it up in flames.

Ukraine has a new focus in bringing the war home to Russia: the country’s biggest online retailer. Multiple Wildberries warehouses have been hit by Ukrainian drones in recent weeks, killing and injuring workers, as well as destroying millions of dollars’ worth of stock.

We spoke with two Russian small business owners who told us they lost their stock at several warehouses and are now fearful their companies will go under. Wildberries, Moscow’s answer to Amazon, declared itself not responsible for any losses from drone strikes shortly before Ukrainian attacks began.

“This is a loss of a livelihood,” one business owner, who makes soap products, said.

But there is little sympathy coming out of Ukraine, where civilian infrastructure, including businesses, have endured years of relentless Russian attacks. — Yuliya Talmazan, digital news reporter

Read All About It 

• For subscribers: Iran is believed to be behind a wave of recent cyberattacks on municipal water systems across the U.S.
• Gianni Infantino will hold a crisis meeting with top FIFA officials in Morocco as he looks to shore up his position in the wake of the collapse of his bid to sell off commercial rights to the World Cup.

• The family of a Salvadoran man who died last weekend while in ICE custody claim medical negligence is to blame for his death.

• Chipotle removed jalapeños from its restaurants across the country after they were suspected in a salmonella outbreak.

• For subscribers: Court records show the man accused of starting a huge wildfire in Spokane, Washington, had served time for killing his father and had a preoccupation with conspiracy theories, court records show.

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