Political Wire: ““Rep. Buddy Carter (R-GA) became the first prominent Republican to jump into the race against Sen. Jon Ossoff (D-GA), launching his campaign Thursday with a TV ad that casts him as a pro-Donald Trump “MAGA warrior,” the Atlanta Journal Constitution reports. “Carter, a six-term Savannah-area incumbent, announced his campaign just days after Gov. Brian Kemp…

WaPo: “Republicans confronted a familiar story on Monday: A highly popular governor whom the party badly wanted to run for Senate — but who has clashed with President Donald Trump — decided not to run. …Kemp’s decision both deprives the GOP of its strongest-possible nominee and could tee things up for probably its weakest-possible nominee….

WaPo: “A Georgetown University researcher who says he has been illegally targeted for deportation amid the Trump administration’s crackdown on campus activism must have his case heard in Virginia as he fights to stay in the United States, a federal judge ruled Tuesday. U.S. District Judge Patricia Tolliver Giles is likely to order immigration officials…

Politico: “Andy Beshear isn’t just saying he “would consider” running for president. He’s actively laying the tracks for a potential 2028 campaign. He’s meeting privately with donors, recording a podcast and regularly popping up at national events. A former Kamala Harris communications staffer is consulting for him, and he’s speaking at the Future Forward donor summit this weekend in…

Politico: “Florida Democrats, still reeling from a brutal electoral defeat in 2024, should be regrouping for next year’s midterms. Instead, the party is imploding — consumed by infighting, power plays and a deepening sense of irrelevance in a state dominated by the GOP. The latest rupture came in a single day in late April: David…

Democracy Now!: “In Florida, another ICE detainee, a 44-year-old Haitian woman, died last week after spending over two months in an immigration jail. Florida Congressmember Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick, the only Haitian American in Congress, called for an investigation into the death of Marie Ange Blaise from the House floor on Wednesday. Rep. Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick: “Marie had been complaining…

Politico: “Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp will not run for Senate in 2026 — putting an already competitive seat up for grabs. The popular Republican would have been a prime recruit against first-term Democratic Sen. Jon Ossoff. “I have decided that being on the ballot next year is not the right decision for me and my family,”…

NY Times: “Weeks later, Mr. Gomez called his cousin from jail, desperate for money. After swimming across the Rio Grande, Mr. Gomez had been arrested by armed state police officers in Kinney County, Texas, on a trespassing charge. Bail was set at $1,000 — more than a quarter of his yearly income. Mr. Gomez promised…

WRAL: “Control over elections administration in North Carolina could flip from Democratic to Republican control…., following a decision late Wednesday from the state Court of Appeals. Elections decisions in North Carolina are made by political appointees, who make calls on issues such as where and when to open early voting sites, which allegations of campaign…

NY Times: “n 2050, thanks to an advantageous deal he made with Warner Bros., Ryan Coogler will own the rights to “Sinners,” the Black Southern Gothic blockbuster he wrote and directed. The contract gave him final cut and a piece of the box office revenue right from the start, too. Owning his movie about Black…