Bellwether Digest – MAY 9, 2026

pgnewser May 6, 2026

Bellwether Digest – MAY 9, 2026

By STAFF

This digest covers political, world, cultural, market, and sci-tech news from May 8-9, 2026.

This digest contains the Global Outlook, Headlines Missed, and People Advance Report.

TOP NEWS TAGS

GLOBAL OUTLOOK

U.S. AI FIRMS TO GO THROUGH GOVERNMENT SAFETY SCREEN – America’s major AI companies, including Google and Microsoft, have agreed to submit all new AI models to the Federal government’s Commerce Department for a national security safety review/ This review will be conducted by the Commerce Department’s Center for AI Standards.
MAGA WINS BIGLY IN INDIANA – Five of the seven republican Indiana state senators that voted against the redistricting measure that would eliminate Democrat seats in the U.S. House lost decisively to Trump-endorsed candidates in the GOP Primary. Four other Trump-endorsed candidates won their primaries decisively as well.
RUBIO CLAIMS “OPERATION EPIC FURY” IS OVER – Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced the end of “Operation Epic Fury,” claiming the offensive part of the war with Iran is over.
OMAR THUMBS STATE INQUIRY – Democrat Representative Ilhan Omar of Minnesota is under investigation for suspicion on fraud by the state of Minnesota. She failed to meet a deadline to turn over documents related to that investigation.

HEADLINES MISSED

CHINA GATEKEEPING U.S. MILITARY FROM CHINA DEFENSE INDUSTRY THREATS – The U.S. is allegedly paying a CCP-connected firm to help identify potential stealth risks from embedding Chinese technology into the U.S. military.
CCP terrorizes Dissenters on American Soil – A former CCP agent told CBN News he was part of an operation to identify and silence former Chinese citizens in America who spoke out against the party. He told CBN they use threats, entrapment, and even kidnapping.

PEOPLE ADVANCE

SICKLE CELL CURE MIGHT SOON BE ON THE WAY – If not an outright cure, a new discovery could turn Sickle Cell Anemia from a deadly and painful chronic disease to a curable, or at least manageable disease. The discovery comes from Swee Lay Thein and Stuart Orkin.
TRUMP GIVES TEEN FIGHTING CHANCE AGAINST CANCER – A 15-year-old teen boy from Louisiana was running out of options in his fight against cancer. A viral video brought his plea to President Trump, who promptly moved to get the boy the special treatment he needs to continue his fight for life.

STORIES WE ARE WATCHING

Radar Links

MAGA wins Bigly in Indiana – DC.report

pgnewser May 6, 2026

Five of the seven republican Indiana state senators that voted against the redistricting measure that would eliminate Democrat seats in the U.S. House lost decisively to Trump-endorsed candidates in the GOP Primary. Four other Trump-endorsed candidates won their primaries decisively as well.

Go Deeper

‘RINO’ Indiana Senate incumbents lose BIGLY to Trump-endorsed challengers– www.theblaze.com

pgnewser May 6, 2026

News Source
EXCERPT:
Indiana’s May 5 primary election tested President Donald Trump’s influence after he endorsed several state Senate candidates seeking to unseat Republican incumbents who had previously broken ranks with him by opposing a redistricting map.

At least six out of the eight Indiana Senate challengers endorsed by Trump won their respective primary elections on Tuesday, most with significant leads.

A ‘big night for MAGA in Indiana.’

Twenty-one GOP state senators voted with their Democrat colleagues in December to block a new congressional map that would have created two more Republican-leaning districts and potentially strengthened the GOP’s control of the U.S. House of Representatives.

The effort failed in a 31-19 vote, despite Trump’s warnings that he would target Republicans in the upcoming primary election who voted against it.

Republicans who voted against the redistricting effort and who were seeking re-election in the May primary included:

James Buck (District 21)
Spencer Deery (District 23)
Dan Dernulc (District 1)
Greg Goode (District 38)
Travis Holdman (District 19)
Rick Niemeyer (District 6)
Linda Rogers (District 11)
Greg Walker (District 41)

Vivek Ramaswamy: Trump-backed Vivek Ramaswamy wins Republican nomination for Ohio governor– timesofindia.indiatimes.com

pgnewser May 6, 2026

News Source
EXCERPT:

Indian-origin Republican leader Vivek Ramaswamy has won the Republican nomination for Ohio governor, positioning himself for a high-stakes contest in November against Democrat Amy Acton.

The biotech entrepreneur secured a comfortable victory over small business owner Casey Putsch in Tuesday’s primary, advancing to the general election in the key Rust Belt state of Ohio.Ramaswamy will now face Acton, the former director of the Ohio Department of Public Health, who ran unopposed in the Democratic primary. The race is expected to be closely watched nationally.

In his victory speech, Ramaswamy thanked voters, saying, “for getting us to this point,” and added that, “the real destination is in November.”US President Donald Trump earlier endorsed Ramaswamy and praised him in a post, calling him “something special. he is young, strong, and smart!”

In a longer message, Trump said, “Vivek Ramaswamy is running for Governor of the Great State of Ohio… I know Vivek well, competed against him, and he is something special. He is Young, Strong, and Smart! Vivek is also a very good person, who truly loves our Country… Vivek Ramaswamy will be a great governor of Ohio, and has my complete and total endorsement – he will never let you down!”

Black Democrat Elected Mayor In Deep-Red Texas City– crooksandliars.com

pgnewser May 6, 2026

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EXCERPT:

In Texas, Pearland’s new mayor, Quentin Wiltz, won a close election on Saturday, but his victory has sparked heated debate on social media.

Wiltz said he knows there is a divide in Pearland, but added it’s a chasm he hopes to bridge when he becomes the city’s next mayor.

He recognized the historic nature of his win: he will be Pearland’s first Black mayor and the first Democrat in decades.

“This election was important because the mayor’s race is at large. So every person who showed up mattered,” Wiltz told ABC13. “My message hasn’t changed. It’s always, will, and continues to be about the people. The people that I serve, the people that I know, the people that I meet. Because that’s what I think public office is about.”

Wiltz won the election by 263 votes out of 11,743 cast. He is hopeful about the growing city’s future despite its infrastructure and budget challenges, and he wants to hear from residents.

Virginia Dems Are Officially Freaking Out That Their Gerrymandered Map Could Get Trashed– townhall.com

pgnewser May 6, 2026

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EXCERPT:

Virginia Democrats are clearly panicking. Rachael Bade, co-host of The Huddle, elaborated on what former Democratic Party operative and fellow co-host Dan Turrentine mentioned this week about the fate of the Old Dominion’s new congressional map. It grants Democrats a 10-1 advantage, but the state Supreme Court refused to dismiss the challenge to the map, setting the stage for serious intra-party battles.

The legal warnings were reportedly repeated endlessly, but to no effect. Now, Democratic leaders at both the Virginia and national levels could face a heavy setback if the maps are invalidated. Bade outlined the criteria the court could use to strike down the maps. Sure, the map might get approved, but if the Virginia Supreme Court sides with just one of these points, the map is cooked:

AND THE KNIVES ARE OUT FOR SOME BIG NAMES. Per Dan’s reporting, Governor ABIGAIL SPANBERGER’s staff is quietly sniping at state Senate majority leader SCOTT SUROVELL and state Senate kingmaker LOUISE LUCAS — two lawmakers who pushed back hardest on the legal warnings last fall.

[…]

If this effort goes down, those quotes won’t age well. “People are lining up behind the scenes to go public, I think, very quickly if this does not go through,” Dan foreshadowed.

BUT HERE’S THE THING — Pointing fingers won’t let Spanberger off the hook, which we discussed at length on the show. Yes, she may have privately raised concerns about the effort early on. But she’s the one in the ads. She’s the face of this thing. As our other co-host SEAN SPICER put it bluntly: “She ate the political cookie on this one.”

The other name in the crosshairs if this goes down? House Minority Leader HAKEEM JEFFRIES. Dan is already hearing from some Virginia Dems who say the Democratic leader pushed too hard despite legal concerns. (Though, let’s be fair to Jeffries — he would have been slammed by the party if he hadn’t leaned in, and his team would likely wear such criticism as a badge of honor.)

Former ICE official falls short in Ohio battleground district GOP primary– www.politico.com

pgnewser May 6, 2026

News Source
EXCERPT:

Former ICE official Madison Sheahan lost a GOP primary in a battleground Ohio House district on Tuesday, a relief to Republicans who worried she could sabotage their chances of flipping the seat.

Former state Rep. Derek Merrin won the GOP nomination in the 9th Congressional District for the second cycle in a row, and will face Democratic Rep. Marcy Kaptur in November. He lost to Kaptur by less than one percentage point in 2024.

Republicans see the seat as a prime pickup opportunity after the Ohio legislature redrew the state’s congressional map to make the district more favorable for Republicans.

Merrin’s victory comes with a sigh of relief from Republicans in the state who raised concerns about Sheahan’s background — she served as former deputy ICE director under former Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem — being a soft target for Kaptur in a general election.

Primary elections: crucial showdowns set in Ohio; Indiana races yield ‘big night for Maga’ as Trump asserts control of party – as it happened | US midterm elections 2026– www.theguardian.com

pgnewser May 6, 2026

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EXCERPT:

The Associated Press has declared Amy Acton the winner of the Democratic nomination for governor. The wire has also declared Vivek Ramaswamy the winner of Ohio’s Republican primary for governor.

Meanwhile, NBC News has called Sherrod Brown the winner of Ohio’s Democratic Senate race. We’ll be awaiting the Associated Press’s official projections.

A California Republican (no, really) just went ALL IN on his Trump support, it’s a lesson for other GOP this midterms– www.louderwithcrowder.com

pgnewser May 6, 2026

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EXCERPT:

The California primaries are the best thing to happen to Republicans facing a perilous midterms. It’s California, one of only two states the media cares about (the other being New York). The “jungle primary” puts Rs and Ds against each other early on, with the two top vote getters moving to the general. And having Rs on stage with Ds helps expose that, while Trump might not be polling well, Americans hate what the left has been selling. This was clear as Republican Steven Hilton totally pantsed all the Democrats on stage.

Point of information: Democrats have been in total control of California for decades, so anything happening in the state is their fault. This makes it awkward for other Democrats to say that the state isn’t working for Californians. Or, while we’re at it, New Yorkers either.

The safe, consultant-driven thing for Hilton to do would be to avoid the word “Trump” at all costs. Instead, he, as a legal immigrant, says if elected, he’ll work with Trump to enforce the laws dealing with the illegal ones. Then you had when the Democrats on stage tried to blame Donald Trump for California being a su-diddly-ucky place to live.

Donald Trump is the president in ALL the other states of America, where the cost of living is WAY LOWER than in California.

It’s not Donald Trump who’s given us gas prices $2 higher than the REST of the country! It’s Democrat policies, which ALL the Democrats here support.

It’s NOT Donald Trump that’s given us the highest housing costs in the country. It’s Democrat policies that all these Democrats support!

Obviously, it is way past time for change in California and endlessly going on about Donald Trump doesn’t serve the needs of the struggling families and small businesses.

Health costs outweigh food, vaccine concerns for MAHA voters: Poll– thehill.com

pgnewser May 6, 2026

News Source
EXCERPT:

Health care costs are the top concern among voters who identify with the “Make America Healthy Again” movement, according to a new poll — far more than vaccines, pesticides or additives in food. The survey, released Wednesday by KFF, shows how affordability concerns dominate the minds of Americans across the political spectrum. According to the poll,…

Florida Gop Gerrymandering Map Signed – dc.report

pgnewser May 5, 2026

Florida Republican Governor Ron DeSantis has signed a new U.S. House redistricting plan that will give the GOP 4 more seats. The law was immediately challenged in state courts.

Go Deeper

Trump & Republicans Float Deal to Flip Fetterman from Democrat to GOP– slaynews.com

pgnewser May 5, 2026

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EXCERPT:

President Donald Trump and Senate Republicans are quietly exploring whether Sen. John Fetterman (D-PA) could be pulled away from the Democrats, as tensions between the Pennsylvania lawmaker and his own party continue to surface.

According to a report, GOP officials believe that even if Republicans were to lose several Senate seats in November, flipping Fetterman could help them maintain control of the chamber.

President Trump has reportedly made a direct pitch, offering his full endorsement along with potential financial backing if Fetterman were to switch sides.

At the same time, several Senate Republicans have begun engaging with Fetterman more informally, testing whether he might be open to distancing himself from Democrats.

Despite the outreach, Fetterman publicly pushed back.

“I’m not changing,” he said.

“I’m a Democrat, and I’m staying one.”

Young Voters Swing Back To Democrats As Republicans Are In Big Trouble– www.politicususa.com

pgnewser May 5, 2026

News Source
EXCERPT:

There has been an interesting theory floating around that one of the reasons Donald Trump improved his standing with voters age 18-34 in 2024 was that the youngest among that age group were not old enough to remember how bad the first Trump term was, thus, they were susceptible to Trump’s campaign style of lies and promises that will never come true.

After getting the full Trump treatment for a year plus of his second administration, those voters have come back to Democrats in a big way.

Politico reported on a new poll of young voters from the nonpartisan Generation Lab:

It shows young Americans planning to vote Democratic in November by a margin of 52 percent to 19 percent. Broken down by party, the data indicates that the GOP has a significant base problem: Just 58 percent of young Republicans say they’ll vote GOP — with nearly a third selecting “neither” or “won’t vote.” By contrast, 85 percent of young Democrats intend to show up for their party at the ballot box.

Just as in 2024, deep discontent with the state of the economy is driving anger at the party in power. Now, 81 percent of young Americans rate U.S. economic conditions as bad or terrible — including 68 percent of Republicans. The younger the age bracket, the more optimism diminishes.

DCCC Caught Putting ‘Thumb on the Scale’ in 2026 Primaries, ‘Narrowing Democracy’ – RedState– redstate.com

pgnewser May 5, 2026

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EXCERPT:

The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee (DCCC) is at it again — anointing preferred candidates in hotly contested 2026 primaries and being accused, by their own party, of openly “putting its thumb on the scale” to protect establishment candidates.

Which is a fancy way of saying they’re being called out for rigging the primaries.

Shocker, I know. The party that feigns being warriors for ‘saving democracy,’ but then installed Kamala Harris and Hillary Clinton when their voters chose Joe Biden and Bernie Sanders, respectively, is at it again.

In the latest round of “Red to Blue” endorsements, the DCCC jumped into multiple tight Democratic primaries to boost candidates they have unilaterally decided can win in the general elections. Some of those candidates are trailing their opponents in both endorsements and fundraising.

The Redistricting War Has Just Begun– www.dailysignal.com

pgnewser May 5, 2026

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EXCERPT:

The redistricting war of 2026, which had appeared to conclude in a stalemate between Democrats and Republicans after Florida’s special session, is anyone’s to win.

In the wake of the Louisiana v. Callais ruling, Republicans in the South are on the move, ready to redraw maps the courts had previously blocked efforts to change.

The outcome of the renewed tit-for-tat redistricting war could determine which party controls the House of Representatives in 2026.

Republican Gov. Jeff Landry of Louisiana has already signed an executive order calling off the state’s May 16 House primaries to allow for redrawing the state’s map, declared a racial gerrymander by the high court.

Louisiana has two Democrat-held districts, held by Reps. Troy Carter and Cleo Fields.

Tennessee Republican Gov. Bill Lee has also called a special session to redistrict after the ruling. Rep. Steve Cohen, D-Tenn., is the only Democrat U.S. House member from the Volunteer State.

The U.S. Supreme Court upheld South Carolina’s current congressional map in 2024. In light of the Court’s most recent decision on the Voting Rights Act, it would be appropriate for the General Assembly to ensure that South Carolina’s congressional map still complies with all…

— Gov. Henry McMaster (@henrymcmaster) May 1, 2026

WaPo Admits Many Democrat Voters Can’t Prove They’re Citizens– thefederalist.com

pgnewser May 5, 2026

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EXCERPT:

Not a single Democrat in the Senate is willing to support the Safeguard American Voter Eligibility (SAVE) America Act, and a new op-ed from The Washington Post might just explain why.

The SAVE America Act would amend the 1993 National Voter Registration Act (NVRA) to require documentary proof of citizenship to register to vote and voter ID to cast a ballot in federal elections. The current “safeguard” preventing noncitizens from registering to vote and voting is a tiny square box on the federal registration form asking applicants to attest they are telling the truth about their citizenship status. In other words, the honor system.

The legislation passed the House (with a single Democrat voting alongside Republicans) but has stalled in the Republican controlled Senate, with a few RINOs and the entire Democrat apparatus opposing the election integrity legislation.

Are Anti-Trans Measures Being Used as Republican “Ballot Candy”? – Mother Jones– www.motherjones.com

pgnewser May 5, 2026

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EXCERPT:

At a fundraiser in early January, Nevada Republican Gov. Joe Lombardo outright admitted to donors he wasn’t the most inspiring candidate. “I am not enough of a motor—uh, a motivator—as a governor candidate to get them off the couch,” he said on a recording obtained by the Nevada Independent.

“We have a couple ballot initiatives we’re going to initiate in order to get voters out,” Gov. Lombardo reassured the room.

But the governor had a plan to fix it. “We have a couple ballot initiatives we’re going to initiate in order to get voters out,” he reassured the room. One measure would mandate photos IDs at the polls, a policy that targets racial minorities. The other initiative would tap into a newer but no less virulent strain of right-wing grievance: “The second thing we’re going to do is this thing called Men in Women’s Sports,” Lombardo said at another event last October, referring to a Nevada constitutional amendment he proposed earlier this year that would ban trans girls and women from playing on girls’ school sports teams.

“Yay!” a few listeners responded. “Yeah!”

“That’s going to get people out to vote,” the governor continued. “Because, just from the groans in the room, I think they’re going to support it.”

‘Frustrated’ Fox News Voter Panel Blames Trump For ‘Very, Very, Very High’ Prices– crooksandliars.com

pgnewser May 5, 2026

News Source
EXCERPT:

A panel of voters on Fox News suggested that Republican control of government and President Donald Trump were to blame for “very, very, very high” prices.

During a Fox News segment on Monday, host Harris Faulkner asked the voter panel how they would approach the midterm elections. One independent said that she was frustrated and might not vote at all.

“Well, honestly, what has been holding me back is I feel like the change that I was expecting from the president himself,” voter Mary Josephine explained. “I don’t feel in my everyday life, which is concerning to me. I still feel, obviously, that, you know, prices are very, very, very high. You know, if you’re going to the grocery store or just in general, because inflation still exists.”

“Unfortunately, now we have the higher gas prices, which really hurt, you know, everyday people in their pocket,” the voter added. “And I’ve voted my entire life. And the frustration right now is, it’s just unbelievable. Because what really changes? I just feel like that we’re kind of, you know, just, you know, kind of steering the ship in the same direction.

SCOTUS Protects Rule of Law By Gutting Racial Gerrymandering– thefederalist.com

pgnewser April 30, 2026

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EXCERPT:

It’s been a long week for the gerrymandering Democrats.

On Monday, attorneys representing Virginia Democrats’ absurdly gerrymandered rewrite of the commonwealth’s congressional maps faced some pointed questions from a skeptical-sounding Virginia Supreme Court.

On Tuesday, the high court denied a motion brought by Virginia Attorney General Jay “Two Bullets” Jones to appeal Tazewell County Circuit Court Judge Jack “Chip” Hurley Jr.’s immediate ruling declaring unconstitutional last week’s referendum to change Virginia’s constitution. Voters narrowly approved a ballot question seeking to “temporarily” rip out a 2020 amendment that put political map-making in the hands of an independent commission — an inconvenient impediment to Democrats’ drive to change the current congressional maps to grab four more seats in Congress in the midterms. If all goes as the Dems planned, the new maps would give them a 10-1 advantage in Virginia’s congressional delegation.

Also on Tuesday, a three-judge panel dismissed a leftist lawfare group’s “novel” lawsuit seeking to rewrite Wisconsin’s congressional maps further to the Democratic Party’s advantage. The ruling marked the second rejection of the Democrats’ efforts to nix congressional maps drawn by the Red China-sounding People’s Maps Commission, handpicked by far-left Gov. Tony Evers. They have hopes a liberal-led Wisconsin Supreme Court will come to their rescue.

SCOTUS Kills Race-Based Gerrymandering

pgnewser April 29, 2026

There were three big wins this month for the Republicans in the Gerrymandering Wars that culminated with a major SCOTUS ruling on race-based gerrymandering.

First, the Virginia Supreme Court continues to refuse to certify the special election that saw the Progressives win the “right” to use gerrymandering to eliminate 4 GOP U.S. House Seats.

Second, SCOTUS has confirmed the Texas gerrymander map that switches 5 Democrat-held seats to 5 likely GOP seats. In Florida, a gerrymander plan is advancing in the legislature that would net the GOP 4 more seats in the U.S. House.

Third, SCOTUS has struck down race-based gerrymandered districts in a move that is existentially threatening to the Democrat Party in its current iteration.

SCOTUS Protects Rule of Law By Gutting Racial Gerrymandering– thefederalist.com
News Source
EXCERPT:

The U.S. Supreme Court issued a 6-3 bombshell ruling gutting the discriminatory practice of racial gerrymandering in the redistricting process. The 6-3 majority opinion, written by Justice Samuel Alito, found unconstitutional the twisting of Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act of 1965 by courts “to engage in the very race-based discrimination that the Constitution forbids.”

“It’s been a good week” for the rule of law, election law expert Hans von Spakovsky told The Federalist following the SCOTUS ruling in Louisiana v. Callais.

Supreme Court Gives Republicans a Much-Needed Redistricting Win with Texas Ruling– www.westernjournal.com
News Source
EXCERPT:

The Supreme Court reinstated Texas’s redrawn congressional map Monday, resulting in a huge win for Republicans, which could help them keep control of Congress.

The map was originally redrawn in August 2025 at the behest of President Donald Trump to add up to five additional House seats for the GOP as they head into a critical midterm election cycle this November.

It was instantly met with legal challenges, with a lower court issuing an injunction blocking the new map.

In December, the Supreme Court stepped in and issued a stay, keeping the map in place until a final ruling could be issued.

The justices initially faulted the lower court for committing “serious errors,” the main one being that it “failed to honor the presumption of legislative good faith by constructing ambiguous direct and circumstantial evidence against the legislature.”

Monday’s 6-3 vote reversing the lower court ruling fell along ideological lines, with the conservative justices ruling in the state’s favor, and the three liberal justices dissenting, according to Reuters.

🚨 In a 6-3 vote, the Supreme Court reversed a ruling that struck down the new Texas congressional map as a racial gerrymander, citing its December stay of that ruling. pic.twitter.com/n36tocZHnM

— SCOTUS Wire (@scotus_wire) April 27, 2026

VA Supreme Court Denies Emergency Appeal From AG Jay Jones To Certify Gerrymander Election – theroanokestar.com
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EXCERPT:

On April 28, the State Supreme Court rejected an emergency appeal from Attorney General Jay Jones to certify the ballots from the April 21 yes/no gerrymandering election. This means, instead of the high court now greenlighting an acceptance of the results from the controversial election, they will continue to deliberate before issuing their opinion, thus keeping the final result unknown for now.

As reported here, on April 21, a preponderance of late-reporting “yes” votes from Fairfax County pushed the “yes” side to victory, with a margin somewhat over 80,000.

2026 Elections