Arizona GOP Senate candidates hold debate as negative ads overtake airwaves
CBSN
The Republican candidates for Senate in Arizona faced off in a heated debate for the first time on Thursday night as the closely watched race is becoming one of the most expensive primary battles in the country.
GOP hopefuls vying to take on incumbent Democrat Sen. Mark Kelly include Attorney General Mark Brnovich, businessman Jim Lamon and venture capitalist Blake Masters. Kelly defeated incumbent Republican Sen. Martha McSally, who had been appointed to fill out the rest of late Sen. John McCain's seat, in 2020. Kelly is considered one of the most vulnerable Democrats in the evenly divided Senate as Republicans hope to retake control in the midterm elections.
With early voting for the primary set to begin in two weeks, Republicans have already spent nearly $40 million on TV advertising, according to AdImpact, which keeps track of political ad spending.

The race to fill the seat of retiring Illinois Sen. Dick Durbin has been heating up in the days leading up to Tuesday's 2026 Democratic primary and could set the tone for other midterm primaries on issues like President Trump's deportation policies and outside spending. And another factor in the race is Gov. JB Pritzker's attempt at powerbrokering: he's given his endorsement and millions in campaign funds to his lieutenant governor, Julianna Stratton. In:

A man who was accused of planting pipe bombs outside the Republican National Committee and Democratic National Committee headquarters on the eve of the Jan. 6 attack in 2021 is asking a judge to dismiss the criminal charges against him, arguing he is covered by President Trump's sweeping pardons of alleged Jan. 6 rioters.

The Cuban government is planning to allow Cuban nationals who live abroad — including in the U.S. — to invest in companies on the island, a top government official told NBC News in an interview that aired Monday, as the country faces economic collapse and immense pressure from the Trump administration.










