WaPo: “The 2026 midterm election season kicks off Tuesday with primaries in Arkansas, North Carolina and Texas, including several high-profile contests that will set the tone for November as voters weigh in on President Donald Trump’s second administration and Democrats debate their party’s direction…. The night’s primaries will also kick into high gear with two…

WaPo: “Fifteen feet beneath the surface, divers drifted through one of the last thriving coral reefs in Florida, spotting juvenile parrotfish and grunts darting between branches of staghorn coral that survived the catastrophic heat waves and disease outbreaks that have rendered their species all but extinct in the continental United States. But soon, this refuge could also…

NY Times: “Representative Dan Crenshaw, a former Navy SEAL who lost an eye in Afghanistan, has voted in lock step with President Trump’s second-term agenda. But the fourth-term Republican has condemned Mr. Trump’s election denialism, split with some in his party on immigration and feuded with the right-wing commentator Tucker Carlson. Now, he is trying…

WaPo: “Authorities are investigating whether a man who fatally shot two people and wounded 14 others at a popular bar in Austin’s Sixth Street entertainment district early Sunday was motivated by the U.S. military campaign in Iran, according to two people briefed on the investigationPolice identified the gunman, who was killed by officers at the…

NY Times: “Former Vice President Kamala Harris has endorsed Representative Jasmine Crockett of Texas in the state’s Democratic primary race for Senate, her most significant endorsement since leaving office 13 months ago. Ms. Crockett is locked in the final days of a close contest with James Talarico, a state representative who has built a substantial…

NY Times: “An anti-establishment restlessness appears to be coursing through voters of all political stripes, and what happens in the swing state of North Carolina — one of three states to hold primaries Tuesday, the first of the 2026 midterms — could be a bellwether…. A Democratic House member representing liberal Durham, Valerie Foushee, is locked…

NY Times: “An aide to Representative Tony Gonzales of Texas sent a text message to a co-worker last April saying that she had an affair with the Republican congressman, according to the co-worker who shared the text exchange with The New York Times. The text message, first reported on Tuesday by The San Antonio Express-News, and…

NOTUS: “House Democrats think they can expand their 2026 midterm map to include a couple of typically safe red districts because the incumbents have twin vulnerabilities: weak fundraising and ethics issues. Florida Republican Rep. Cory Mills faced allegations of stolen valor, domestic violence and shady business dealings this campaign cycle, and those issues appear to have deteriorated his…

WLBT: “Three deaths occurred at the Central Mississippi Correctional Facility days apart. Melvin Perkins died at the prison on February 8. Justin Knotts and Marty Breazeale both died on February 10. The family of Justin Knotts says he was severely beaten over the weekend. On Sunday morning, the family received a call from the University…

NBC: “Rep. Randy Fine, R-Fla., prompted calls for his resignation from Democrats and a major Islamic civil rights group after suggesting in a social media post that he’d choose dogs over Muslims. “If they force us to choose, the choice between dogs and Muslims is not a difficult one,” Fine posted to the social media platform…