
Republican Showdown in Texas Spurs New Senate Bid by NFL Veteran
Allred raised more than $90 million last year but lost to Cruz by almost 9 percentage points. This time, he's jumping into a race that will be defined initially by a showdown in the GOP primary between Senator John Cornyn and Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton. Both Republicans have been touting their ties to President Donald Trump.

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Newsweek
20 minutes ago
- Newsweek
Andy Beshear's Chances of Winning 2028 Primary as He Gives Campaign Update
Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources. Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content. Kentucky Governor Andy Beshear declined to rule out running for president in a new Vanity Fair interview—here's what polls say about a potential Beshear candidacy. Newsweek reached out to Beshear's political team for comment via email. Why It Matters The 2028 presidential race is still more than three years away, but candidates who could be interested are already making early moves in hopes of building their name recognition and winning support from primary voters ahead of the election. Beshear, a Democrat, is among those who have been floated as a potential presidential candidate. Proponents of a Beshear run point to his electoral success in Kentucky, a reliably Republican state, as proof he can win over Republican and independent voters. However, polls suggest he is less known than other Democrats who could run in 2028. What to Know Beshear, who was speculated to be a potential vice presidential candidate for Kamala Harris' presidential campaign, addressed speculation about a potential run in an interview with Vanity Fair published Friday. "Two years ago, I wouldn't have considered [running for president]," he told the magazine. "But if I'm somebody who could maybe heal and bring the country back together, I'll think about it after next year." Early polls suggest most Democrats favor candidates like former Vice President Kamala Harris, California Governor Gavin Newsom or former Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg. But the primary still years away, meaning a dark horse candidate like Beshear could still break through. The latest Emerson College poll showed Beshear with support from 2 percent of respondents. Kentucky Governor Andy Beshear attends a White House meeting in Washington, D.C. on February 10, 2023. Kentucky Governor Andy Beshear attends a White House meeting in Washington, D.C. on February 10, that poll, 16 percent of respondents backed Buttigieg, 13 percent supported Harris and 12 percent leaned toward Newsom. Seven percent supported both Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of New York and Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro, while 5 percent said they would prefer to vote for Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders. Three percent backed New Jersey Senator Cory Booker and Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer. Illinois Governor J.B. Pritzker and Maryland Governor Wes Moore also received the backing of 2 percent of respondents. The poll surveyed 1,000 registered voters from June 24 to June 25 and had a margin of error of plus or minus 3 percentage points. A Morning Consult poll from June found him similarly trailing other candidates with 1 percent support. That poll showed Harris leading with 36 percent of the vote. Buttigieg followed at 10 percent, and 5 percent backed Newsom and Ocasio-Cortez. It polled 1,000 Democrats and Democratic-leaning independents from June 13 to June 15, 2025. Beshear remains one of the most popular governors in the country. A Morning Consult survey found that he has a net approval rating of +43. Sixty-eight percent view him favorably, while only 25 percent give him negative marks. Supporters say that approval is especially impressive given President Donald Trump's 30-point victory in Kentucky. He won nearly 65 percent of the vote, compared to former Vice President Kamla Harris' 34 percent, in the 2024 election. What People Are Saying Beshear told Kentucky's WDRB in May: "But I don't want to leave a broken country to my kids. So, if I'm somebody who can bring this nation together, hopefully find some common ground, it's something I would consider." Ken Martin, the chair of the Democratic National Committee, said in June in remarks to WHAS: "If he wants to run, he should. He's a great guy. He's a wonderful governor. I've known him a long time." What Happens Next Candidates typically don't start making formal presidential runs until after the midterms, but other potential candidates are already laying the groundwork for 2028. Newsom, for instance, is heading to early-voting primary state South Carolina next week to tour several rural counties.


Newsweek
an hour ago
- Newsweek
Could Children Be Detained At 'Alligator Alcatraz'? What We Know
Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources. Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content. A new detention facility being opened in Florida, named Alligator Alcatraz, could hold both adults and minors, according to a draft operational plan obtained by the local news outlet, the Miami Herald. The temporary detention center, situated at the Dade-Collier Training and Transition Airport in Ochopee, received federal approval last week to hold thousands of undocumented immigrants. Newsweek has contacted Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) via email and phoned the Florida Division of Emergency Management for comment. Why It Matters The remote facility is projected to cost Florida around $450 million each year to operate, according to the Department for Homeland Security (DHS). Critics have voiced concern over the center's remote location deep in the Everglades, as well as the center's swift implementation—warning about what these factors mean for the treatment of migrants, transparency, and due process. However, proponents see the project as a cost-effective solution to manage increased immigration enforcement as the Trump administration carries out what it calls the largest mass deportation effort in United States history. Workers install a sign reading "Alligator Alcatraz" at the entrance to a new migrant detention facility at Dade-Collier Training and Transition facility on Thursday, July 3, 2025, in Ochopee, Florida. Workers install a sign reading "Alligator Alcatraz" at the entrance to a new migrant detention facility at Dade-Collier Training and Transition facility on Thursday, July 3, 2025, in Ochopee, Florida. Rebecca Blackwell/AP What To Know While not explicitly stating that minors may be housed in the facility, the report allegedly says that "minors shall be separated from unrelated adults at all times during transport and seated in an area near officers and under close supervision" when transported "by land," the Miami Herald reported. Per the outlet, the report also says, "snacks and water shall be given to minors, pregnant females, and as necessary for detainees with medical conditions" while being transported. Florida lawmakers have voiced their concern over the possibility, and five were recently denied entry into the facility—state Senators Shevrin Jones and Carlos Guillermo Smith, along with Representatives Anna V. Eskamani, Angie Nixon and Michele Rayner. Following the incident on Tuesday, the lawmakers said in a statement: "This is a blatant abuse of power and an attempt to conceal human rights violations from the public eye. If the facility is unsafe for elected officials to enter, then how can it possibly be safe for those being detained inside?" President Donald Trump and Republican officials had previously visited the site without an issue. "I find it hard to believe they have safety concerns for us but no safety concerns for the POTUS when he was here just 2 days ago," Senator Smith said. The DHS told Newsweek that the temporary facility will be up and running in a matter of days with 500 to 1,000 beds, with a plan to expand capacity in 500-bed increments. By early July, the facility is expected to have 5,000 beds. The initial structures will be soft-sided temporary units, with the possibility of more permanent buildings constructed later. To house detainees at the facility, Florida will use old Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) trailers that were previously used during disaster responses—which the DHS said was a "very low-cost option." The facility will be managed by the Florida Division of Emergency Management, and Florida's declaration of a state of emergency on immigration has allowed the state to mobilize quickly, and National Guard personnel will also assist with detention operations. What People Are Saying Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, on X: "Alligator Alcatraz is a milestone in our effort to help the Trump Administration fulfill its mandate to the American people and restore our nation's sovereignty." The Department of Homeland Security, in a statement: "Alligator Alcatraz will give us the space and beds needed to detain the WORST OF THE WORST safely. This facility will be a blueprint for detention facilities across the country." State Senator Carlos Guillermo Smith wrote on X: "Legislators have the statutory authority to make unannounced visits to state-run facilities, but the DeSantis regime is REFUSING us entry into 'Alligator Alcatraz'." What Happens Next Individuals arrested by Florida law enforcement under the federal 287(g) program will be detained at Alligator Alcatraz, and ICE will have the authority to transfer detainees to Florida's custody under the same program.


The Hill
an hour ago
- The Hill
Carville: GOP megabill passage will be seen as ‘mass extinction event'
Veteran Democratic strategist James Carville said during a recent interview that the Republican tax and spending bill, which President Trump is expected to sign on Friday, will be seen as a 'mass extinction event,' predicting that the Democratic Party will pick up more than 40 House seats in the 2026 midterms. 'And I like with the unified party, every Democrat voted against this. Every Democrat, regardless of the ideology, their ethnicity…we can all rally around this, and we can run on this single issue all the way to 2026. And Paul is right, we're going to pick up more than 40 House seats,' Carville, the former strategist for ex-President Clinton's campaign, said during a Thursday appearance on CNN's 'Anderson Cooper 360.' 'I can tell you what the poll says today, the Democrat in New Jersey is up 20 points. That's in a state that we won by two and a half or two in 2021. I mean, you know, political anthropologists are going to look back at this and it's going to be called a mass extinction event because there are a lot of them are going to be extinct,' Carville told host Anderson Cooper. The House GOP passed President Trump's 'big, beautiful bill' on Thursday, sending it to the president who is expected to sign it on Friday evening. The package, which was adopted with a 218-214 vote, contains the president's major spending priorities, extending the 2017 tax cuts and also cuts to Medicaid, which some Republican members of both chambers have expressed concerns about. All but two House Republicans – Reps. Thomas Massie (Ky.) and Brian Fitzpatrick (Pa.) – voted for the package on Thursday. All Democrats voted against the bill. Trump hammered Democrats late Thursday during his rally in Des Moines, Iowa, saying he hates them for not supporting the massive package and that Republicans will be able to benefit from it politically when midterm elections come around. 'All of the things we did with the tax cuts and rebuilding our military, not one Democrat voted for us. And I think we use it in the campaign that's coming up, the midterms,' Trump told the crowd. 'But all of the things that we've given, and they wouldn't vote. Only because they hate Trump. But I hate them, too. You know that? I really do, I hate them,' the president added. 'I cannot stand them, because I really believe they hate our country, you want to know the truth.' Carville said Thursday that 'when people go to the polls voting for this, I promise you, I promise you, this thing is really, it's like 25, 26 points underwater already.' 'And we haven't even started our education program,' the longtime operative added.